


Something Worth Fighting For

by angiembabe



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gun Violence, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 73,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23667043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angiembabe/pseuds/angiembabe
Summary: It has been five years since Anzu went to New York. Yugi hoped their love would endure, but alas, the distance and their busy lives, mean that they have drifted apart and their relationship has ended. But Yugi always fights for what he believes in, and is determined to win back the woman he loves.However, he is in for a nasty shock when he finds Anzu -definitely not what he expected!
Relationships: Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi
Kudos: 9





	1. Where Did It All Go Wrong?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. I'm back with another story. I won't go on about Covid 19, but I do hope you are all keeping positive, and most importantly, staying healthy.
> 
> Anyway, on with the story. Most of this is already written so updates will be regular. I'm starting it out as T rated, but you never know when things might get raunchy, and if reviewers ask for it, I may spice up the romance a bit when I come to edit.
> 
> Disclaimer: I should probably mention (sad face) that I do not own Yugioh, or any of the characters.
> 
> Anyway. Please read and I hope you enjoy.

Had it really been three years since he had seen Anzu? Yugi was still sad about the way they parted...

It was fine at first. They would message each other every day and video call at weekends. Sometimes Jonouchi, Honda and Bakura would join the video chats too.

They all looked forward to those weekend chats. Anzu always seemed cheerful. She told them she was doing great!

Then, midway through the first term, she had a crisis of confidence. She fretted about not being good enough to do the course and was on the verge of coming home. She dare not tell her parents after all the sacrifices they had made to fund their daughter's dreams. Yugi did his best to calm her, spending all night talking on the phone with her. But he knew she really wanted him there with her.

But he was in the middle of negotiating a deal with Kaiba to develop his game. On top of that, he was also committed to appear in a tournament. "They will sue me if I bail," he tried to explain.

He wrestled with his conscience – she was a friend in need and he never let his friends down. However, on this occasion...

Anzu said she understood his dilemma, but he could tell she was not happy about it. And it did not lessen his guilt.

He had no choice but to go and talk to Anzu's parents.

Luckily, her mother was very understanding. They were worried, but not at all annoyed. Her dad was busy with work and could not go, but her mother travelled to New York to see her daughter. After that, Anzu settled down and seemed happier. Yugi actually made it over to see her during the winter break, by which time she was thoroughly enjoying the course and had made new friends.

::::::::::::

At the end of the first year, Anzu came home for the summer.

Yugi would never forget that summer. He was either at the university for lectures, working on his game design with Kaiba, or helping Grandpa in the store. Anzu needed money, so Yugi asked Kaiba if they had anything that might suit? They did, and she spent the summer working at Kaiba Land, serving in the refreshment kiosks. She worked all the hours she could.

In the evenings, when they were not too exhausted, they would go and see a movie, play video games with their friends, or wait until Anzu's parents were out and go to her room to make love.

One night, she stayed with Yugi in his room. But Grandpa was nosy and his mother disapproved, so they did not do it again. Apparently, they were noisy!

The time flew by and when it was time to go back to America, Anzu cried. She even contemplated packing it in and staying in Japan.

But Yugi and her parents persuaded her to go back, and once her second year was underway, she soon settled in again.

During that second year, it seemed she had really found her feet. Her new life was taking over from her old one. Her messages during the week were less frequent and she even started to skip the video calls, saying she was too busy.

It was left to Yugi to try and keep in touch.

He tried his best; messaging her most days and calling once per week. But gradually she stopped answering his calls, and often left it several days before messaging back to say she was sorry. When she was not busy preparing for a recital, it seemed like she always had a party to attend.

Mai spent time dueling in the US Pro-league and was in New York for a tournament.

She visited Anzu.

Apparently Anzu had loads of new friends.

She had moved into an apartment with a couple of her new friends, which Yugi already knew about, and they were having the time of their lives! He was not aware of that, but did not begrudge her a great time – just as long as it did not involve other men!

Unfortunately, it did.

Anzu swore Mai to secrecy. But Mai told Jonouchi that Anzu had an admirer called Jake, and was 'very' friendly with him. Jonouchi was ordered to keep it a secret from Yugi, but promptly let it slip after a couple of beers.

A very attractive girl like Anzu was bound to attract admirers. Yugi had heard that American men were far more forward with women than Japanese men were.

The idea that she might be dating a smooth talking American guy was enough to make him sick with jealousy.

Sulking, he decided to stop messaging her for a while.

Funnily enough, that prompted her to message him to ask what was wrong?

Realising that they needed to resolve whatever might be going wrong between them, he called her. And that was it.

Jonouchi and Honda both said he might as well forget about her and have some fun. After all, as the King of Games he was always being propositioned by hot young babes.

But he always turned them down, politely explaining that Anzu was his girlfriend.

Not any more, it seemed. What were her exact words? "I'm so sorry Yugi. We no longer have the same interests. And trying to have a long distance relationship when we're both so busy is far more difficult than I thought it would be. So I think we should cool things off and concentrate on our careers. We can still be friends though, if you want?"

"Yeah, still friends," he agreed sadly. They went too far back to let the bitterness and hurt he was feeling destroy their friendship.

But accepting that Anzu was no longer his girlfriend was as hard as accepting Atem leaving.

It took a few weeks, but in the end he decided to give in to his friends nagging and give dating a try.

Being with a girl other than Anzu felt strange. His new girlfriend was very forward and asked him back to her apartment for sex. It was fun, but it was just sex. It didn't make him feel like he did with Anzu so he ended the relationship, using the excuse that he needed a break to concentrate on work.

It was not that much of a lie really. His game, Spherium, was being released in collaboration with Kaiba Corporation and things were kind of hectic. Judging by orders and advertising hype, the game was looking like it would be a huge success.

Yugi put much of this down to Kaiba. Without his rival - now business partner's - investment and technological brilliance, the game Yugi had dreamed of making would have never even got off the ground!

The official Japanese game release was being held at the Kaiba Stadium. As usual Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba were the headline attractions.

He and Kaiba demonstrated the game live, and it was also streamed online to gaming enthusiasts around the world.

Afterwards a lavish party was held, where Yugi was approached by a hot young Japanese pop star called Sukira. He fell for her beauty and they started dating.

Everywhere they went, the couple were big news and were constantly being photographed. Yugi did not say anything, but he hated being in the spotlight like that. But Sukira absolutely adored the limelight, so he put up with it.

When she suddenly announced she was pregnant he was the number one candidate as father.

Yugi was terrified at the prospect of becoming a father at twenty three, but offered to marry her anyway.

To his surprise, she turned him down, ended the relationship and moved in with her Australian manager, revealing that he was the father and not Yugi.

Needless to say, Yugi was angry, hurt and devastated. He had never felt so used. But oddly enough, he realised that he was not heartbroken! The relationship had never been about true love. For him it was lust, and for her it was the publicity.

To cheer him up, his friends took him out for a few beers, followed by a visit to one of their old haunts, for a burger.

"You dodged a bullet there Yugi!" Honda gulped the rest of his beer and held up the empty glass. "Who's round is it next?"

"I'll get them. Same again guys?" Yugi asked and they nodded. Standing at the bar, Yugi realised that his friend was probably right – he had just had a very lucky escape.

When he got back to the table with the beers, Jonouchi was snickering.

"It would serve the bitch right if she was wrong about who the father is and the kid's hair grew like yours,Yugi!"

"Not funny Jonouchi," Yugi frowned, a shudder of dread running down his spine.

A few days later, Yugi was sat browsing old photos of himself and his friends on his laptop. Anzu was so pretty. She could have chosen any guy she wanted, yet she had wanted him to be her first lover. Why? He would never understand. Back then he was short and pathetic, and in some photos he looked about twelve. Acted like it too sometimes, he thought, rolling his eyes at himself.

He wondered what would he do differently if he could go back in time and change things?

If he had deliberately lost the Ceremonial Duel, would Atem still be here? Anzu had probably only chosen to love him because of Atem anyway. So if Atem had stayed, they might still be together, in some weird threesome.

He grimaced at the perverse image that invaded his thoughts –maybe not.

One thing he was certain of though: Atem would not be very impressed with him for letting Anzu go so easily.

::::::::::::

New York winters were harsh. Way worse than anything Domino ever threw at them.

She had been living here for five years, and still could not get used to the weather.

It was on cold, damp days like these, when she was alone in her hovel, that Anzu would think back to all the good times, not so good times and dangerous times they had together.

Inevitably, she always wound up thinking about Yugi. She sighed. He was the nicest, most wonderful guy she had ever known and loved, yet she had pushed him away.

The adventures they had been through together. The tender love they shared as they explored their first sexual experiences together. He had treated her so gently that first time, and showed her so much respect.

How had she not realised just how beautiful and meaningful their relationship truly was?

They always looked out for one another. But now, when she needed him most, he was not here to help her. And it was all her fault for suggesting they cool things off and just be friends.

At the time she thought it for the best. Now, she realised how stupid she had been.

But she had been moving within a new circle of friends. They lived and breathed the world of dance; helping each other through the highs and lows as the pressure of coursework sometimes got too stressful.

Anzu was proud of herself for gaining a first class honours degree.

But what use was her degree if she could not find work?

After leaving Juilliard, her hopes had been high to begin with. She applied to all the dance companies but was rejected because they already had more than enough dancers. If she could sing, then she might have had better luck!

Audition after audition saw her rejected and she became despondent.

Perhaps she should go home.

But she couldn't go home now, not after all this time. It would be an admission of failure.

But just how much longer could she go on like this? She was even lying to her parents about how well things were going, when in actual fact her life sucked.

Pulling her dressing gown tighter, she sat on her threadbare couch, in her grotty little apartment, and read the online article with disbelief. Her sweet, caring Yugi was involved in a relationship with Japan's hottest female pop singer.

They were posing at some fancy music awards ceremony. They were smiling and happy. He looked so confident and handsome in his evening suit, white shirt and bow-tie. That was three months ago.

The next article, five weeks later said she was... "Pregnant!" She shrieked.

Anzu felt her heart breaking. He was having a baby with another woman! She really had lost him.

Not wanting to know any more, she shut down her laptop. Serves her right for checking him up on line.

She wanted to scream.

In the apartment next door, an argument was in full swing. They were always at it and Anzu hated it. The walls were so thin in these damned apartments that you could hear every word, and she was sure that one day she would hear gun shots and they would kill each other.

But this apartment was all she could afford, and so had to put up with the drug dealers, prostitutes, parolees and drunks that were all struggling to survive in this poor part of the city.

She looked at her watch. It was seven thirty in the evening and she would have to leave for work soon.

What would Yugi think if he knew what she was doing to earn money?

He was better off without her. The only good thing about losing touch with him, was that she had managed to keep him from finding out how low her life had sunk.


	2. Blocked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seto Kaiba asks Yugi to attend a product launch at a games convention in New York. He suggests that Yugi contacts Anzu while he is there, but Yugi is not sure.  
> Meanwhile, Anzu's problems continue when her controlling boyfriend, who she knows she should dump, takes advantage of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for Anzu's plight came to me after hearing all the publicity, over the last couple of years, regarding vile, wealthy men, who hold powerful positions in the entertainment industry, taking advantage of desperate young people who are trying to get a break into show business.
> 
> Warnings: Drugs resulting in non-consensual sex.

"I need to ask you a favour Yugi," Seto Kaiba said, walking into Yugi's small office. This was Mokuba's idea and he was not entirely comfortable with it, but Mokuba had insisted that sending Yugi in his place made sense.

Yugi looked up from his sketch pad, on which he had been trying to come up with ideas for the new Kaiba Land attraction Seto had asked him and Mokuba to work on. "Huh?! What favour?" He replied, suspicion mixed with confusion etched on his face. Kaiba never asked for favours.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not asking you to run naked across the car park, shouting Seto Kaiba is the best duelist ever," he smirked.

Yugi pulled a vomit face. "Is that your idea of a fantasy?"

Seto snorted. "No. It's called a sense of humour. Despite what you all think, I do have one you know. Anyway. Joking aside. I am supposed to attend a product launch in New York, but I can't go. I thought you could go in my place."

"Me?!" Yugi was shocked. Why would Kaiba want him to go? It was not like he was that familiar with most Kaiba Corporation products. Did that mean...? Either Kaiba was in a really generous mood! Or... was he was giving Yugi a poison chalice.

"Don't look so frightened Yugi. You're a duelist, therefore you're the perfect choice."

"B..but, product launch?" Yugi chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm no salesman Kaiba." He was far too kindhearted for the hard sell.

"Your family owns a shop," Seto snorted. "You should be able to sell tea to China."

"I think you're mistaking me for Grandpa. He has no problem getting people to buy stuff they don't need or want."

"If the old man is that good, then perhaps I should ask him to go in your place." Set gave him a smug look and Yugi narrowed his eyes.

"New York, you said?" Anzu was in New York. It might be his only chance to repair the rift between them. "I never said I wouldn't go. What exactly is it you need me to do?"

"It's to promote the new anniversary box sets and prismatic card releases, designed in conjunction with Industrial Illusions." Seto noted how Yugi sat up a little straighter in his chair, clearly intrigued.

"New cards?" Yugi was always excited by the prospect of new cards.

"Re-designs of old cards, as well as new cards." Seto handed a pack to Yugi. "Here. Pegasus sent these over for you." Thanking him, Yugi took them.

"Wow! These are cool," he smiled, holding up the new prismatic design for his signature card, Dark Magician, so that it caught the light.

"Those new cards also have the latest holographic chip in them. They will still work in the old duel disks, but the holographic resolution is relatively basic. Your job will be to demonstrate just how incredible and interactive the holograms are when the cards are used in the new duel disks. You will also be required to help the sales team to persuade potential customers that it is in their best interest to invest in the new duel disks." Kaiba was actually a little disappointed he would not be doing the demonstrations himself, but he had another, far more pressing business engagement to attend. And he had to agree with Mokuba, that Yugi was a better choice to go to New York than Mokuba was.

"Do I get one of the new duel disks? I mean, if I'm to demonstrate these cards..." Yugi's eyes twinkled as he looked through the rest of the new cards.

"Go to the production lab and see Hanasaki. I have instructed him to engrave one with your own personalised logo."

"My own logo?" Raising an eyebrow, Yugi looked up at him in surprise.

"That's what I said. No need to thank me."

"Well, it sounds cool, so I'll thank you anyway."

"Then I take it that you are agreeing to go to New York in my place?" He watched as Yugi carefully put the cards back into their box.

"Yes. I will go," Yugi confirmed, looking up. Kaiba would never take 'no' for an answer anyway.

"Good! You can pay the Mazaki girl a visit while you're there. Perhaps then you will stop moping about instead of working. I don't pay you to mope." Not exactly how Mokuba would have wanted him to word it, but Seto did not really care for subtlety. But at least he was doing his part. According to Mokuba, Yugi been pining for the cheerleader since his relationship with that pushy little pop singer had ended in disaster.

Why Yugi always went for pushy women, Kaiba would never understand. They were far too much trouble.

"What?!" Yugi blushed."I'm not..."

"Oh, come on Yugi. Spare me the faked ignorance. Either go and resolve whatever it is that went wrong between you and your former cheerleader with benefits, or move on."

"Nice of you to put it so bluntly Kaiba," Yugi scowled defensively. He did not think he had been moping about that badly. He looked down at his sketches and frowned. All he had drawn was a doodle of Kuriboh, carrying a love heart broken in two; his name in one half and Anzu's in the other.

He flipped the page, hoping Kaiba had not seen it but guessing he probably already had – hence the 'not paying you to mope' comment.

"I dunno though... I'm not sure if I should try and contact Anzu. We haven't spoken in ages and she didn't reply last time I messaged her. I don't have an up to date address for her either. Last I heard she was working in a coffee shop. No idea if she's still there.. or even in New York!" The string of excuses and his negativity caused Seto to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Oh, come on Yugi! Since when did you become the sort of man to give up so easily? I'm sure you could find her address if you tried. If you want me to, I can run a few checks? I bet I can find out where she is in no time."

For a moment Yugi was tempted, but then he shook his head.

"Thanks. But no. I can find her myself." The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to go through Anzu's social security records, medical records, American work permit and any other personal information he could find.

"Suit yourself," Seto snorted. "You will be leaving this Wednesday. My secretary will give you the travel details." He left the office, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts.

He did not want to give up hope entirely that he and Anzu could get back together. But, if, for whatever reason they were unable to re-kindle their romance, at least they could reconcile their strained friendship. Maybe he would get some closure so that he could move on properly.

As he spent the next two days preparing to go to New York, anxiety over the trip started to plague him to the point where he had trouble sleeping.

What if she was ignoring him because she was engaged or married?

He needed to know where he stood before setting foot in New York.

Swallowing his pride, he tried to ring her. It went to voicemail. Caught off-guard, he left a rather garbled message saying he was coming to New York and would be really happy if she could ring him back so that they could arrange to meet up for a friendly – no strings attached – chat.

He gave her several hours to get back to him, but when she did not return his call he tried sending a text and discovered he had been blocked. He was utterly crestfallen.

::::::::::::

Anzu woke up at eleven in the morning feeling like crap. She really should not have drunk so much vodka last night.

But wait?! She did not recall having more than one drink!

Rubbing her hands over her forehead, she tried to remember. She could remember up until the point where she came off stage, got changed, meeting Tony at the bar and him buying her a drink. She had no recollection of anything after that. She did not even know how she managed to get home!

Her throat felt dry and pasty.

She was naked.

Her body felt violated.

A male voice from her kitchen/diner called out for her to get her ass out of bed; he had made a pot of coffee and some toast.

She groaned. So that was how she got home last night.

Things had cooled between her and Tony. He messed around with other women and she was unsure she wanted to be in a relationship with him any longer. She was thinking of leaving her job at the club.

He put on the charm to change her mind.

Bought her a drink.

That toe-rag bastard; he must have slipped something in her drink and then brought her home, and in her stupefied state she'd had sex with him.

Shuddering, she pulled her nightdress out from under her pillow and put it on.

How had she let herself be so stupid as to get into this mess?

It all started six months ago when she met him in the bar of a theatre where she had been auditioning. She had been rejected, again, and was upset. He was so friendly and kind. He promised to use his contacts to help her get into a Broadway show.

But he was never going to get her into a show, was he? It was all lies, just to keep her under his control.

She hated herself for her naivety.

As she stood up a wave of nausea hit her.

"Shit!" She mumbled, slamming her hand over her mouth, stumbling off the bed and running to the bathroom to throw-up last night's cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

This stupid lifestyle had to stop.

Some ten minutes later, showered and feeling more composed, she shuffled back out of the bathroom.

Tony handed her a coffee as she slumped down on the sofa.

"You look like shit!" He laughed.

"I feel like it too," she groaned, nursing her coffee and inhaling the brew.

She spotted her handbag on the floor. She did not want to leave it there and bent down gingerly to pick it up.

She instinctively reached inside for her phone.

Surprised to see her phone flashing with a message from Yugi, she quickly shielded the phone from Tony. If he knew she had a message from another man, he would hit her.

"I feel terrible. I think I'll go back to bed," she grumbled, dropping her phone back into her bag and taking it to the bedroom with her.

"Don't forget your coffee," he grinned, gold tooth glinting. Yuk! She hated that stupid gold tooth.

"Thanks." She took it and smiled at him bleakly. "You don't mind seeing yourself out, do you? Think I might spend the rest of the day in bed."

"If you're sure you'll be okay?" He had business to attend soon anyway.

"Yeah.. I'll be fine." Not wanting to take the risk of Tony overhearing her listening to her voicemail message, she closed her bedroom door and locked it.

Sitting on the bed, she listened to Yugi's lovely, soft, lilting voice. His message was a bit garbled, but it appeared he was coming to New York on business and wanted to see her. He wanted her to call him to back to make arrangements for when they could meet up.

Even though her heart beat faster at the thought of seeing Yugi again, she did not return the call – how could she when she was living like this? If she spoke to him, he would want to chat about how she was doing and she would have to lie. And she could not lie to Yugi because she loved him too much.

Taking the cowardly way out she blocked his number.

In doing so, a lump came to her throat and her heart broke. She would never love anyone else in the same way she loved Yugi. The cute spiky haired kid she had grown up with and had been through so many adventures with.

She wiped her tears, blew her nose and pulled herself back together, just as she had been forced to do so many times lately.

She told herself she was blocking Yugi because she was protecting him from the disappointment he would feel if he found her.

She was not deserving of a lovely man like Yugi, and until she sorted out her life and got some self respect back, he would remain blocked.

And she would sort her life out! She would find a way to get out of this ever decreasing circle of sludge she had found herself drowning in.

All she had to do was stick it out at a little bit longer, in the hope that Tony was not going to let her down. Despite her better judgement, part of her still wanted to believe that he would get her that all important lucky break.

All she had to do was keep on trying and not give up.


	3. Disastrous Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi arrives in New York and goes searching for Anzu. He ends up finding her in a place he least expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. We're just finishing week 5 of lock-down here, and I have to admit I'm really enjoying it. The sun has been shining for the most part, the roads are so quiet and the sky is clear of planes leaving exhaust vapour behind, meaning a sparkling blue sky - something we seldom see these days due to the volume of air pollutants... It's really giving nature a chance. To my American readers, I hope you are all safe? I've heard about the staggeringly high mortality rates and have seen the daft comments made by your president! I sincerely hope that no one sets up a dubious medical practice offering bleach or disinfectant injections!
> 
> Anyway! Let's get on with the chapter. Probably not suitable for minors this one, as it contains mentions of strippers and nudity.
> 
> Another little note: The giving of tips in America. Just in case anyone questions it, I googled how much it is customary to tip a porter/bell-boy and it states 2$ is the accepted amount. Yugi does not know that however, and ends up tipping a bit more than that.

Doing his best to try and put the disappointment of being blocked by Anzu behind him, Yugi stepped out of JFK and scanned his surroundings for the transport he was told would be waiting for him.

He was not here to worry about Anzu not wanting to see him, he was here on business, and he intended to do a good job to justify Kaiba sending him here in his place.

As with all Kaiba Corporation funded trips, everything was arranged perfectly, and moments later a limousine glided to a halt close to where he was standing.

"Mister Mutou?" The Japanese driver said, getting out and greeting him with a bow.

"That's me," Yugi nodded, bowing in return. He had not expected Japanese courtesy in New York and it made him feel more at home.

The driver opened the car door for him to get in and he settled on the rear seat while the driver placed his bag in the boot.

Yugi was then driven to a swanky hotel in Manhattan.

Once there, he discovered he would be staying in the luxurious Kaiba Suite.

"Kaiba suite?!" His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he was told that Mister Kaiba owned the hotel. He had been completely unaware, until now, that Kaiba was also in the hospitality industry. Was there anything in which Kaiba did not have some sort of financial investment?

Thanking the check-in girl, he picked up his key-card.

He was about to pick up his bag and head for the elevators, when the bell-boy appeared. Even though he happy to take his bag up to his room by himself, he let the bell boy take it for him. He knew about the custom to give a tip, but had no idea how much he was supposed to give!

"Thank you Sir. Have a nice stay." Clutching his five dollar bill the bell boy left, delighted with his generous tip.

Once inside the sanctity of his suite, the first thing Yugi did was look around.

"Wow!" The bed was circular, and bigger than any King-size he had ever seen.

He had never stayed anywhere this fancy in his whole life and spent the next fifteen minutes playing with the the electronic gadgetry.

After fifteen minutes of opening and closing blinds, dimming and illuminating lights, and asking the entertainment system to play different types of music, he settled for soft rock, natural light and open blinds to maximise the view.

After unpacking some of his stuff and throwing it inside the walk-in wardrobe, he went into the en-suite bathroom. "Wow!" He shaved in the huge sink, brushed his teeth and then took a much needed shower. The shower was a massive walk-in and had all sorts of settings. He went through all of them before settling on the 'rain-forest' setting.

After drying himself off, he put on the big fluffy robe supplied by the hotel, and flopped down on the huge leather sofa with a can of Cola to chill out, watch the huge TV screen and get over some of the travel weariness he was feeling.

However, he was fidgety.

There was still a few hours to kill before the evening meal. He loaded a game to play on the huge TV, but he was not in the mood.

All he could think about was what Anzu might be doing.

Sighing, he decided to head out and visit the last known address he had for her. At best, she would be there and would agree to see him, at worst, she would no longer even be living there. But it was worth a shot.

After getting off at the wrong stop and walking in the wrong direction, he found himself a bit lost and decided to hail a cab. The taxi driver drove him to her old apartment block in a matter of minutes. Paying the driver, he got out.

As he pressed the door buzzer, he could feel butterflies fluttering in his tummy. But just as he feared, she was no longer living there.

The new occupants in the apartment did not even know who she was, but said the landlord might have a forwarding address for her mail.

Yugi thanked them and went to the landlord's apartment. The landlord said that he did not have a forwarding address, and any mail he had received he had taken to her in the coffee shop where she worked.

But the last time he had taken mail to her was eight months ago and he had no idea if she still worked there.

Yugi remembered her saying she was working in a coffee shop, and with his heart beating quickly in anticipation, made his way there and sat down at a table.

A slightly chubby waitress in her mid twenties, with long, light brown hair tied back into a ponytail, approached his table to take his order. He could not help noticing how her amble bosom strained to escape the fabric of her dark chocolate coloured blouse. Trying not to look at her chest, he ordered a coffee and asked the waitress about Anzu.

"Sorry! Never heard of an Anzu Mazaki." The waitress shrugged unhelpfully.

Yugi was filled with disappointment as he tried to explain. "I know she was definitely working here until about eight months ago."

"That's why I never heard of her then, I only started here a month ago." It appeared she did not really care to be helpful and Yugi felt his irritation rising.

"Well, is there someone here who does know Anzu Mazaki?" He asked, patience wearing thin.

The woman rolled her eyes, as she said, "I'll go ask my boss." She walked like it was all too much effort and disappeared out back.

Yugi waited impatiently, rising tension causing him a headache.

His relaxed again when another woman wearing chefs whites and in her fifties, with sharp features, reminding him of an older, female version of Kaiba, but with hair dyed black and tied in a bun, appeared from the kitchen.

She smiled, in a much friendlier way than Kaiba ever would, and told him that she remembered Anzu but that she had changed jobs six months ago to be closer to where she now lived. Unfortunately she did not have Anzu's new address. But she did know the name of the cafe where she was now working.

Thanking her, Yugi took his coffee to go and followed the instructions he had been given on how to get there.

He just about made it before they closed for the evening. The chairs had been placed upside down on the tables and the floor had been mopped.

The girl he spoke to at the counter was just turning everything off but still greeted him with a pleasant smile. Her name-badge said her name was Kirsten and Yugi was relieved that she appeared to be nice and friendly – he could not be doing with a confrontation right now.

"Good evening sir! If you're after coffee, I'm really sorry, the espresso machine's been turned off for tonight. But I can sell you a cold drink, if you like?"

"Thank you. But I didn't come for a drink; I came to see Anzu Mazaki. I was told.. she works here?" His heart was pounding with hope.

"Anzu ya say?! You a friend of hers? Only, I ain't never seen you before." She narrowed her eyes at him as if she were slightly suspicious, and Yugi wondered if they had a lot of creepy guys coming in asking for Anzu!

"My name is Yugi Mutou. Anzu and I have known each other for years! You haven't seen before because I only arrived from Japan today."

Kirsten smiled kindly, and sounded apologetic when she spoke. "Sorry, but she's got three days leave now. Best bet is to try her apartment."

"Oh..." Yugi hung his head in disappointment for a moment, before looking back up. "Do you have her address, please?" The young woman frowned at him.

"I know you said you're her friend and all, but I'm real sorry, I'm not at liberty to give out her address. Company policy I'm afraid." She could see how disappointed he was and felt sorry for him for coming all this way only to find she was not here. But he must not be a very close friend if he did not have Anzu's address. However, he did seem a genuine, likeable kind of guy. "Would you like to leave a note or something? I'll make sure she gets it."

Yugi brightened up a little. "Please?" He nodded.

She handed him a piece of paper, an envelope and a pen.

He wrote down his message, placed it inside the envelope and wrote Anzu's name on the front, before handing it to Kirsten.

Exhausted, and feeling deflated, he took a cab back to his hotel. At least he would be busy at the convention and product launch for the next couple of days, which would help to keep his mind otherwise occupied.

::::::::::::

The following day, even though she was not working, Anzu popped into the cafe for her lunch.

As staff, she was entitled to discounted food and drink. It also got her out of her stuffy apartment. She found it was quite nice to sit in the window and watch passers by all scurrying about their day.

"Hey, Kirsten," she greeted, ordering a strawberry milk shake and a tuna salad sandwich. Kirsten punched her order into the till.

"There was a cute guy in here asking for you yesterday." Kirsten grinned mischievously, keen for a good gossip about her colleague's potential romance to brighten up an otherwise dull day.

Kirsten was a boisterous girl of Nigerian origin, who's parents were doctors and had emigrated here when she was five. Kirsten did not share their ambition for her to also become a doctor and was instead studying for a degree sports science. Their joint love of fitness and exercise meant the two girls got on well.

Kirsten raised a curious eyebrow when Anzu put her hands to her mouth and gasped in horror. "No! Did he leave his name?" It had to have been Yugi.

"Yeah... Yuto.. Yuki or...Hang on, he left you a note." She fished around for the envelope Yugi had left for her. "Ah! Here it is. He had real awesome hair!" She glanced at the Japanese handwriting wishing she could understand it, before handing it to Anzu.

"His name is Yugi," Anzu managed a smile, "and he does have pretty awesome hair." She frowned as she read the note.

"You okay Anz..?" Kirsten worried at the frown on Anzu's face. "Thought you would be happy about seeing a friend from Japan. He's not bad news is he? He didn't seem that type!" She had actually been smitten by how nice and polite he was.

"No," Anzu shook her head "he's not bad news. Yugi is the most wonderful, sweetest guy in the whole world. We were in love. But things got difficult with us both studying and stuff, and long distance relationships are so difficult. We decided.. well, I decided, we should break up." She waved the handwritten note in the air. "He wants me to meet him."

"He's come an awful long way! What have you got to lose?"

Anzu smiled weakly. "Nothing, I guess." Nothing except her reputation, her dignity. Not to mention that Yugi thought her pure of heart and mind, level-headed and strong. If he found out how just how weak and pathetic she had become...

She sat down and re-read the note. He was in New York for five days at a gaming convention and product launch. He had given her the name of the hotel he was staying at and his room number.

Wow! He really was doing well if he could afford one of the best hotels in Manhattan!

Luckily, the hotel was a reasonable enough distance away from where she lived so it was easy to avoid him. However, she wanted to see him so badly that it hurt.

She put her head in her hands and sighed.

::::::::::::

The gaming convention was buzzing. The noise and the atmosphere in the huge convention hall was awesome for someone Yugi, who absolutely loved all the new and existing games on display at all the different trade stands.

Industrial Illusions had their own trade stand, that due to shared collaboration with Kaiba Corporation, also featured Kaiba Corporation products related to Duel Monsters, that had been developed alongside Industrial Illusions. Yugi's job was to demonstrate the new duel disks and help the saleswoman convince as many buyers as possible that investing in the latest version of the duel disk was worthwhile.

Yugi had half expected to see Pegasus here, but was relieved to find that he had been called away on a more urgent matter and would not be putting in an appearance until the last day.

So far, everything was going well and they had sold several units and also taken two large orders from retailers.

However, as much as he tried not to think about Anzu, he could not get her out of his mind. Every spare moment he had, he would check his phone for any messages from her. So far, nothing. And as the day went on he got more and more disheartened.

When Caroline the saleswoman saw him sag with disappointment, she asked him what was wrong?

"Nothing," he replied, but she was insistent so he relented. "I was hoping a friend I haven't seen or heard from in ages would get in touch. They know I'm here."

Caroline smiled knowingly. "An old flame eh?"

"A what?" Yugi did not understand the expression.

"An ex-girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Don't take you for gay, but ya never know," she winked.

Yugi grimaced. "Girlfriend," he stated assertively. "Or she was. We split-up due to her being here and me being in Japan. I tried to get in touch to see if we could meet up, but she's ignoring me and I don't know why."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Caroline smiled sympathetically. "I don't wanna be negative, but do you think that maybe she's moved on? Some people don't like to see their ex after they spit-up."

"But Anzu's not like that! We've been friends since we were kids. It's just that..." Huffing, he sagged in disappointment. "It's not like her to ignore her friends."

"Maybe she hasn't got your messages!"

Yugi shook his head. "I'm sure she has. She blocked my number. But the girl she works with promised to give her the note I left for her. All I want is to meet up for a chat. I'm not asking her for anything else!"

Caroline sighed. Poor guy was lovesick, she could tell. Maybe a night out would help him get over it. "A few of us are going for a drink after we leave here. Why don't you come along?"

Yugi gave her a doubtful, slightly worried look. She winked. "Don't worry, I'm not coming on to you. I prefer women."

"Oh!" Blushing, he scratched his neck.. "I... erm... It's not that.."

"My girlfriend is meeting me after work. I think you will get on with her. She's probably no match for the King of Games," she teased, "but she plays the card game and you're her favourite. She would love to meet you."

"Really?!" He was flattered. "Okay. If Anzu hasn't called me by the time we leave, I'll come."

Anzu did not call, and Yugi found himself in a bar with a group of people he did not really know all that well.

He planned to stay for one drink, and then slip away to his hotel. But they were such a fun bunch of people that after a couple of drinks he was enjoying himself too much to go home.

Caroline's partner, Verity, was excited to meet him and got him to pose for a few silly selfies with her. Yugi promised to duel her when they were more sober.

Verity joked that if she got him drunk enough, she might challenge him this evening since it would probably be her only chance to win against him.

When someone else suggested they move on to a nightclub, everyone agreed.

Not ready to go back to his empty hotel room and huge empty bed, Yugi went with them.

The club had an adjoining casino, and Yugi even considered going in there to play some tables later, if he stayed sober enough to play and win that is.

They paid the entrance fee, which was more expensive than Yugi was anticipating. But once inside, he discovered the reason for the high entrance fee: Tonight they had 'erotic' dancers performing.

Jonouchi had persuaded him to go and see some strippers once, so he half knew what to expect. And while it piqued his male curiosity, he actually found it a bit sad that girls would degrade themselves for the pleasure of men.

Despite this thought, he was more than happy to watch the girls performing.

The pole-dancer was amazing!

Since the drinks were very expensive, everyone agreed to buy their own. Yugi purchased one beer and decided to make it last; he had already drunk more than enough alcohol anyway.

Having found a table, he and his companions sat and continued to watch the show.

The headline act was announced by the resident drag artist. On being announced, Bambi, Bunny and Vixen flounced out onto the stage, wearing skimpy outfits covered in sequins, feathers and frills.

Lewd calls and wolf whistles could be heard from the audience of mainly inebriated men.

Strobe lights flashed and then dimmed. Multi coloured spotlights highlighted the girls as they began to dance and writhe provocatively.

It was immediately apparent that one of the girls was a way better dancer than the other two. She was simply amazing, and moved so beautifully that it reminded Yugi of the way Anzu used to move.

Due to the amount of make-up the girls were wearing, and the flashing lights, it took him several moments to realise that the girl was actually quite a lot like Anzu – she could even her her twin!

And then, as a creeping feeling of horror made its way from his gut to his spine and then crawled up into his throat, it hit him. It WAS Anzu!

He did not know what to do. All around him, people were leering, wolf-whistling, calling for the girls to get their kit off and to touch one another. They sounded like hyenas yapping around prey.

Suddenly, he was feeling nothing but disgust towards everyone in the room. How dare they leer at his Anzu like that. He wanted to storm the stage and yell at them to all stop looking at his girlfriend.

He clenched his fists around the material of his trousers and could feel his nails digging into his knee through them.

She was no longer his girlfriend and he had no right to stop her in the middle of a show. But what was she was doing?

It was degrading...

Anzu always had more pride in herself than this!

A few years go she had caught Jonouchi, Honda and himself fantasising about watching strippers. Jonouchi waved his tickets in her face and she rounded on them, saying that men who enjoyed watching that sort of filth were dirty perverts. While the girls themselves were cheap and easy. She had literally grabbed Yugi by the collar and dragged him away, telling him not to let them corrupt him.

So, to find her working here...

Shakily, he sat like a statue in his chair, eyes fixated on Anzu. He dare not let any of the people he was with know that the beautiful Japanese girl was HIS beloved Anzu.

When the girls turned their backs to the audience and dropped, bums in the air and legs apart, their almost non-existent panties leaving nothing to the imagination, Yugi's jaw clenched. He picked up his beer and gulped it down, almost crushing the class.

A man rushed the stage to try for a grope and Yugi saw red.

The colleagues he was with jumped out of their skins when he suddenly leaped out of his chair, knocking the table and glasses flying. "Get your fucking hands off her?!" He yelled, but could not really be heard above the thumping disco beat.

Launching himself at the stage, he reached Anzu and her unwanted admirer at about the same time as two bouncers did.

The bouncers quickly had the man who rushed the stage in a headlock and started dragging him away.

Anzu seemed a little shaken by the unwanted admirer, but was unharmed and ready to continue the show...

But then her eyes met Yugi's horrified, hurt and angry glare.

She immediately stopped moving and gaped at him in utter horror. "Yugi?!" Her hands flew to her mouth in utter despair.

He reached for her arm. "Anzu wh..." they were the only words he managed to say before a bouncer grabbed him roughly in a headlock, forcing his arm up behind his back.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Anzu tried to interrupt the bouncer. But she was pushed aside as the bouncer started dragging Yugi, kicking and screaming, away from the stage and towards a side door where he would be ejected from the club.

Anzu dare not run through the audience, so she ran back stage, kicking off her stupid high heels as she did so. Quickly grabbing her bag and wrapping her coat around herself she hurried out through the backstage entrance, into the chill night air and pouring rain.

She arrived just as Yugi was being thrown out.

He was not making the bouncers lives easy, and much to Anzu's horror, it was taking three big, burly blokes to throw out one slightly built, not very tall Japanese man.

He was shouting her name, resisting and trying to get back into the club. She had never seen Yugi fighting like this before and she was frightened they would hurt him.

"No! Stop!" She yelled, running over, her bare feet getting cold and wet. "Ray! Get off him. Let me deal with him... Please? I know him."

The bouncer called Ray, looked at her. "What are you doin' out here Miss?"

At the sight of her standing there, Yugi stopped resisting the bouncers and called out to her. As soon as he relaxed, the bouncers let him go. Caught off-balance, he staggered a bit and then fell onto his bottom on the wet ground.

A mixture of anger and embarrassment washed over him as he looked up at Anzu towering over him. She looked everything from hurt and embarrassed, to traumatised and angry, as she glared down at him furiously, one clutching her coat closed, while the other clutched her backpack. Her thigh length coat was haphazardly pulled around her; legs bare to the cold reminding him of what little she was wearing underneath.

His embarrassment at being seen storming the stage and then bundled unceremoniously out of the club was far outweighed by his anger, rage and heartbreak. "What the hell are you doing in a place like this Anzu?!" He demanded, staggering to his feet.

"Earning enough to pay the rent! That's what," she yelled defensively. "What's your excuse for being here, Yugi?"

"At least I'm not taking my clothes off for people to leer at," he yelled back, emotion making him irrational and thoughtless.

"No! You're just watching. Is that any better?!" She never pictured Yugi as judgemental and almost screamed at him as tears pricked her eyes.

"It's better than being a..." he faltered, the word 'stripper' choking in his throat when he saw she was on the verge of crying. "Why, Anzu?" He said, more calmly now; anger turning to sadness at how miserable she looked. "You used to hate places like this! You said girls who worked in them were cheap and had no self respect. What happened to you?" He stepped forward to touch her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

"Just go Yugi. Leave me alone. I'm not the sweet, innocent girl you remember."

"I'm not going anywhere. Not until we at least talk," he demanded.

She shook her head. "You don't wanna know my problems." She pulled a pair of leggings and a pair of pumps from her backpack, and hastily began pulling them on. "If it makes you feel any better, you probably just lost me my job anyway."

He suddenly felt a rush of guilt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm going home now. Don't follow me." She turned to leave. Ignoring her request, he jumped in front of her.

"No way am I letting you go home alone. I'll walk you. We have to talk."

His work colleagues appeared. Great! That was all he needed. Humiliation complete.

Caroline cleared her throat. "Is everything okay Yugi? We brought your jacket out." She handed it to him. He was getting cold and wet and his jacket was much appreciated.

"No. It's not okay," he seethed, pulling his jacket on. "But I don't want to talk about it right now." He zipped his jacket up. "Thanks for my coat. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

When he turned to talk to Anzu again she was already walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well done to everyone who guessed that Anzu was working as a stripper. Not exactly her career choice, but one of the main reasons she had been wanting to avoid Yugi.


	4. How Bad Can Things Get?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the shock of finding Anzu working as a stripper in a club, Yugi tries to confront her, but she does not want to speak with him and tries to get away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are all keeping well and staying safe.  
> This next chapter was a pain to do. When I went to edit it I decided it was not coming across quite how I wanted, so I started re-writing it and ended up with it in an even worse mess! But I think it's about as good as I can get it now, and I hope the angst and hurt, along with the hope for a resolution comes across in both characters. Please let me know what you think?
> 
> Warning: Adult themes, mentions of drugs and some swearing.

At the sight of her walking away from him, possibly for good, Yugi felt crushed. Had their friendship reached the point of no return? He wasn't willing to accept that just yet.

"Anzu, wait!" He yelled. But she ignored him and quickened her pace. He cast a very quick glance towards his bemused work colleagues. "Sorry. Gotta go.." Without acknowledging them further, he ran after Anzu.

The rain was getting heavier and Anzu was anxious to get away from Yugi as quickly as she could. A taxi would be the fastest way to escape, and several cabs were already parked up, waiting for people to start leaving the nearby pubs and club.

As she made a beeline for the cab at the front of the line, the anger and hurt she felt towards Yugi for his behaviour, bubbled over, causing tears to prick at her eyes. She had to get away. She had to reach that car before he came after her.

But he was fast, catching her as she reached for the taxi door. "Anzu. We need to talk."

Distraught that he had caught up with her, she whirled around to face him, glaring at him, eyes glistening and face wet with rain and tears.

"There's nothing to say Yugi. You and I no longer live the same sort of life. We're going in different directions." Her voice was shaky with emotion, and her words were lacking any real conviction. The truth was, there was so much she wanted to say to him, but she just could not face him right now.

"I don't believe that, Anzu. And I don't think you do either. You at least owe me some sort of explanation."

Her jaw clenched. "Explanation for what? You're the one who came to a club to watch strippers. You're the one who jumped the stage because he did not like what his ex-girlfriend was doing. Well, congratulations Yugi, you've probably just lost me my job. Happy now?"

His jaw flapped. "That's not.. I.." He looked frozen in place by her vicious words.

She huffed at him, and when she spoke it was with little patience. "Please, Yugi. Just go." She turned and reached for the door handle of the taxi but he seemed to find his momentum again.

"I'm not letting you go that easily, Anzu," he shouted, moving fast to slam his hand on the car door frame to stop her opening it. He squeezed himself between her and the door.

"Get out of my way, Yugi." She was glaring at him, shaking with rage, but he did not back down.

"No." He said adamantly, grabbing her shoulders, imploring her to listen. "It doesn't matter why I was in the club. You shouldn't even be working there! I want to know why your doing it?"

"I would have thought that was obvious," she snapped.

The taxi driver wound his window down and shouted out at them. "Hey, love! Is that guy giving you hassle?" Although the taxi driver did not understand what they were saying in their native Japanese, it was easy for him to believe that Yugi might be harassing her.

Anzu almost said 'yes' but did not want Yugi arrested so she hesitated, until a person wanting a taxi, also confronted them. "Are you two gonna stand there arguing, or are you gonna get in that cab?"

Realising that people were starting to come out of a nearby pub and were after a cab, Yugi moved to one side to allow Anzu to open the rear door and get in, but he quickly jumped into the vehicle with her.

The driver turned in his seat and glared at Yugi threateningly. "The young woman ain't interested in you dude, so get the hell outta my cab, or do have to call the cops?"

Yugi held his hands up apologetically. "It's not what you think..." he began in his defence, but Anzu pushed his hands away and interjected.

"Thanks for your concern, but it's okay, we're together. We're just having a slight disagreement, that's all," she told the cab driver.

Taking her word on that, the driver grunted. "Where you goin?" He asked.

Anzu told him where she wanted to go and then turned to Yugi. "When I get out, don't follow me," she said coldly. "You can ask the cab driver to take you back to your hotel."

"I'm not going back to my hotel. I want us to sit down together and talk this through."

"Why? So you can continue to judge me? Well, I'm a stripper. Get over it," she said bitterly, turning her face away from him to look out the window on her side.

He shook his head in dismay. She seemed so bitter; defensive even. Had life here changed her that much? He was certainly finding it hard to believe this was the same happy go lucky girl he used to know.

"I may not approve of what you're doing, but I would never judge you personally Anzu. You should know that?" His voice was intimidating. Whether he was conscious of his tone was hard to tell, but he sounded so much like the other Yugi used to when he confronted an enemy, that Anzu knew it was pointless to argue with him.

She turned her gaze back to him and let out a desperate sigh. "Okay...But I don't want to talk in here."

She heard him huff some sort of agreement, and they sat in an uncomfortable silence for a minute or two, until Anzu found the tension too much and decided to break it.

"How's the gaming thing you're attending?"

He seemed to brighten up a bit at being asked about why he was in New York in the first place.

"It's great thanks. I've been demonstrating the latest duel disk with the new cards, to help the sales team sell them. The new holograms are pretty awesome."

"More cards?" She snorted lightly. "Another new duel disk? They cost enough as it is, I can't imagine people wanting to spend more money."

"You'd be surprised," he chuckled. "They like to have the latest technology. And besides, wait until you see how incredible the interactive holograms are."

Anzu raised an eyebrow and Yugi was pleased to see she was smiling. "Interactive?" She giggled in a slightly sarcastic way. "Does that mean Kaiba can stroke his Blue Eyes White Dragon now?" When she made a 'how gross' face, it made Yugi laugh.

"Not in the way your thinking," he tutted, rolling his eyes.

"Oh! We're here," Anzu sat up straight, changing the subject. "You can stop just in this delivery bay," she told the driver, pointing.

Anzu did not complain when Yugi paid the driver and got out with her.

The first thing he noticed was how shabby this area looked.

They rounded the corner onto her street and he tried not to notice the person sleeping in a doorway, or the huddle of guys drinking and taking drugs in the entrance to the alleyway opposite. It worried him that Anzu was living in such a neglected area.

"This is it," she said, stopping in front of a grimy, dark green door. "Welcome to the Ritz!" She chuckled mirthlessly.

"Oh! I've seen worse." But not much worse, he thought, frowning; no wonder she did not want him to come back here.

"I doubt it." She rolled her eyes at the disgusted look on his face and huffed. "You haven't seen the inside yet." She punched in the door code and pushed it open. "Landlord lives on the ground floor – he's an alcoholic," she whispered, pointing at the ground floor flat and office. "Sometimes he comes out and shouts abuse at people for being behind with their rent, other times he thinks he's your best friend and wants to hug you." There was a look of repulsion on her face and Yugi knew he needed to do whatever he could to get her away from here.

"Elevator doesn't work by the way," she added, heading for the stairs. "But at least I'm only on the third floor."

Yugi looked around in dismay.

The bottom of the stairwell was dingy and dank, with peeling brown paint and an unpleasant smell of cannabis, alcohol and urine. The dark grey linoleum floor was sticky. It almost made him gag and he had to hold his breath.

Anzu pinched her nose. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Mmm," he nodded, grimacing and trying not to breathe in. But as they ascended the stairs, it got less smelly, and he was relieved that the floor Anzu lived on was not too bad; just a bit musty with a hint of stale cigarette and cannabis smoke. Anzu's apartment was right down the end, near the fire escape where the air was a little fresher.

"Be warned, it's not exactly spacious," she said, unlocking the door. "But I've made it as nice as I can."

Yugi stepped inside and looked around the small entrance lobby. To the left was a small bathroom, and on the right a broom cupboard. In front of them another door opened out into a living space of about twelve feet square, which also included a compact kitchen area to the left and a window in the far wall looking out onto the street below. There was a small fold down dining table and two dining chairs, and a two seater sofa that faced a small television on a dented and scratched chest of drawers. To the right of the living room was another door, leading to what he presumed was the bedroom.

Yugi smiled, spotting the cuddly toys on the sofa and eyeing the pretty pink curtains. "It definitely has your touch." It smelled nice too; like roses and sandalwood.

Anzu took off her soggy pumps, and to be polite, Yugi took off his own shoes; he noticed they had been scuffed during his fight with the bouncers and frowned – he only bought them a week ago.

"I need to get out of these wet clothes," she said, leaving him standing in the sitting room while she went to the bedroom.

He took off his wet jacket, hanging it over the back of the chair. His trousers were also wet, but he was not sure he should take them off – might give her the wrong idea.

Shoving his cold hands into his trouser pockets, he rocked on his heels as he waited.

::::::::::::

Anzu pulled off her wet clothing and grabbed a warm fleecy top, some comfortable baggy bottoms and warm socks. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned at her smudged make-up. She grabbed a tissue and gave it a quick dab to tidy it up a bit. She still looked a mess but Yugi was waiting so it would have to do for now.

She emerged from her bedroom feeling like her insides had been hollowed out. It was upsetting to think that the boy who used to make her feel so at ease, was now making her feel so anxious.

Yugi immediately noticed how nervous she was, and wondered what he should he say to make her feel more relaxed. He said the first thing that came to mind. "You've made it nice. You would never know what the outside was like."

"Thanks." She wrung her hands together. "Would you like coffee? Tea? Something stronger?"

He was tempted to say 'something stronger,' for some Dutch courage. "Do you have green tea?"

"I do," she managed a smile, and then went into the little kitchen area to put the kettle on. "So. Hmm. What did you want to talk about?" She said curtly.

He had ten million things he wanted to say, but could not think of any of them right now. If he said anything about what happened tonight, he would probably upset her even more than he already had, so he shrugged.

There was an awkward pause.

"Guys asked me to say hi," was all he could muster in the end.

She huffed. She was pretty sure that was not what he was planning to say. "Not heard from any of them in so long, I've almost forgotten what they sound like," she said bitterly. "How're they all doing?"

"Jou and Mai are together in a casual sort of way. Honda is dating Shizuka and Jou is not happy but is forced to accept it. Mokuba is growing up to be a really nice guy and Kaiba's... well, Kaiba," he chuckled. "Bakura is doing better. He's training to become a criminal psychologist."

"Guess he's well qualified for that, given what he went through with that horrible inhabitant of the Ring."

"Yeah.. I suppose he is."

Another awkward silence while she poured the boiling water into the teapot.

"But you didn't follow me back here to talk about the guys, did you?" She said, breaking the silence.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure what to say without saying it all wrong." He swallowed. "It's just that.." He poked at the well worn carpet with his toe. "I don't want to give you a hard time about being a stripper, because I think you already feel bad enough about it as it is. But what I do want to know is what made you do it? Does anyone else know about it?"

"A I supposed to feel bad about what I do, Yugi?" Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.

"I don't know. Do you?" He asked, voice tight.

"No. Why should I?" She snapped. "I'm only trying to make a living. And promise you won't tell. God.. if my parents found out..." She looked frightened and Yug felt his heart clench in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel awful. Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I know," she mumbled, quietly. She knew she could trust him. "And please don't keep implying I feel bad, or awful."

"I'll try not to. But I do want you to tell me why you're working in that club?" He pressed, keen to get her to open up.

She shrugged defensively. "How else am I supposed to survive? Bills don't pay themselves. And I'm only doing it until I get my finances back in order, or find a proper job."

"What about the cafe? You have that, right?"

She shook her head. "It's minimum wage and I only get twenty hours per week. It barely pays the rent, let alone the bills."

"Why didn't you ask for help, or even come home if it was that bad?"

"And give up on my dreams?" She was almost in tears again, but distracted herself by pouring the tea. "My parents saved up for years. They put everything into my education so that I could chase my dreams. If I give up now, I would not only fail myself, I would be dishonouring them." She looked sad and reflective as she handed him a mug of tea, before taking her own mug over to the sofa, where she set it on the floor before sitting down. "I'm going to keep fighting for my dreams, and I will do whatever it takes to make them a reality, even if it does mean working at the club."

He sat down beside her, not too close as to get into her personal space, and placed his own mug carefully on the floor.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I don't get it." He said, turning slightly to face her. "Your parents love you and going home isn't an admission of failure! New York isn't the only place in the world where you can dance; even I know there's dancing jobs in Japan you could apply for. But for some reason you're so caught up in this idea of Broadway, that you can't see anything else beyond it!" He was on a roll now and every little bit of hurt and frustration was tumbling out as his voice became more forceful. "I thought we were in love; we made promises to each other. But you dumped me, ignored me and now you don't even want to see me! I don't know why you insist on staying here."

Anzu stared him, dumbfounded, the wind knocked out of her. It took her a second to compose herself.

"Because it's too late for me to turn back now. I've fucked up my life! I've fucked up my career and I've fucked up our relationship and... Shit! What about you, Yugi? It's not as though you've been behaving like an angel either! Screwing silly little pop singers. Why is everything so fucked?!"

He shook his head in annoyance. "Yeah, I've made mistakes, but this isn't about me. It's about you and where you have ended up... And don't swear like that. It isn't like you."

"Guess I've learned a few new words since I've been here," she snapped defiantly. This conversation was rapidly descending into an argument.

Yugi pressed his hand over his face in exasperation. It was going badly and it was probably his fault for being too aggressive in his approach.

"Look. I'm sorry," he said. "If you want to know? I will be the first to admit the thing with me and Suki – the pop singer– was a disaster. But it's over now and I'm glad. I don't want to talk about her. But I do want to talk about you and me. I still love you. But if you don't love be back, or don't even want me as your friend, then I'll leave. But know this Anzu: Whatever you decide, I will support you financially until you get back on your feet and find a respectable job that pays well enough for you to survive. And if you're thinking of arguing with me on that, don't, I won't take no for an answer." He sounded heartbroken and pained, but his voice was still assertive.

Anzu felt her energy suddenly drain from her, causing her to sag. The desire to fight her corner was gone. All that was left was a sadness over the love she had been prepared to lose in order to chase her dreams.

"I wanted to call you, Yugi, but I couldn't; I didn't want you to know how low I've sunk. If we had talked I would have been forced to lie. And I know you would see through my lies and then I would have cried and spilled all my sorrows on you. I was too scared."

"But we're supposed to be friends Anzu. If you had confided in me, I would have listened. I would have dome anything to help you avoid ending up in a..."

"Shit hole," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he nodded. "A shit hole. This building. This area. Performing to leering perverts – it's not healthy. If you let me take you home, away from all this, I can look after you in the way you deserve."

She bit her lip and looked away, her hair shielding her eyes. "I don't know if I can," her voice barely more than a whisper.

He stood up and crouched in front of her; waiting, watching, imploring her nervously with a rapidly beating heart. She was rejecting him, he was sure. She was going to stay in this hell hole, even if it meant losing all of her sanity and dignity. Even if it would kill her in the end, she intended to stay. She did not love him enough to agree to go home.

"Please give me the answer I want Anzu?" He tried again.

After a handful of seconds, that seemed like an eternity, she looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"But all my dreams Yugi. They've all gone and I don't know how to get them back again," she whined desperately, her bottom lip trembling as her tears started to fall.

"Hey!" Without hesitation, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her as she slid like jelly off the sofa into his embrace, allowing his strong arms to hold her against his manly chest. The weedy little boy she once knew had always been her comfort blanket, but he was no longer a weedy little comfort blanket, and that made her feel all the more secure. She wanted to bury herself in his protective embrace forever.

"Your dreams haven't gone." He kissed her head and held her like he never wanted to let her go again. "They've just been mislaid. If you let me take care of you we can find them again."

She laughed sadly through her tears and buried her face in his neck. He smelt of stale booze, perspiration and burgers, but underneath, he still had his distinctive Yugi scent she remembered so well and loved so much.

"I don't know what I want right now," she sniffed. "I don't even know if there's a hope we can work things out between us."

"But we can try, can't we? I won't push you into anything, but... I still love you Anzu – I will never stop loving you. But if you no longer like me that way, then I will..." he swallowed and said quietly and sadly, "accept it."

Her heart melted into mush and her muscles quivered under her skin.

"I love you too Yugi. I wish I never suggested that we break up. I've been so stupid." She was mumbling tearfully into his neck and it tickled. He stroked her hair.

"We've both been stupid. I know we have some issues, but maybe we could make a fresh start. What do you think?"

"I'm surprised you still want me after what I've done," she replied bitterly.

"Of course I want you. I don't care what you've done." To prove it, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. He hoped that the sincerity in his gaze would be enough to convince her that it did not matter what had caused them to end up in this mess, he still loved her and still wanted to be with her.

He smiled at her softly and she smiled back, all be it solemnly. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, lingering just long enough to see if she responded.

When he felt her lips part slightly, he pulled back hesitantly. She followed him, her lips keen to remain connected with his. They both swallowed and waited a second to see who made the next move.

Her phone started ringing loudly –Anzu always did like noisy ringtones –and this one certainly ruined the moment. They pulled apart.

She turned her head towards her phone on the kitchen counter. "I should probably see who that is."

Yugi noticed how she visibly paled when she saw the name of whoever it was ringing her. But before he could walk over and see who it might be, she rejected the call.

"Are you alright? You look worried," he enquired. She shook her head.

"It was my boss, Tony." She did not want to tell him that Tony was also her boyfriend and the man who bribed her with a promise of stardom, only for her to end up working in his club. "I don't think I can deal with him right now."

"Maybe he just wants to know if you're okay?"

She huffed bitterly in response to his reasoning. "I very much doubt that."

Her phone started ringing again. Biting her lip, she looked at Yugi. He could see the fear in her eyes and he started to wonder just what sort of man this Tony was.

"I suppose I should answer it," she said, voice trembling. "Stay quiet while I'm talking Yugi. If Tony finds out you're here..." she trailed off and shivered. At some point Yugi would want to know what her involvement with Tony was and she would have to tell him the truth.

Anzu had met Tony when he came into the cafe several times. After chatting for a bit she told him she had graduated from Juilliard with a first class honours degree, but even with such good qualifications she was still finding it impossible to get work as a dancer. She had applied to dance companies, but they either told her their portfolios were full or that they only wanted experienced dancers. Without being given a chance she could not even get experience!

He listened to her complaining for at least half an hour and then said he was in the entertainment industry himself and had a lot of contacts; he might be able to help her.

However, she had to agree to have dinner with him first so that they could discuss, and then he would need to see her dance to asses how good she was.

Alarm bells were ringing but Anzu was desperate, and he seemed nice, so she threw caution to the wind and agreed; nothing ventured noting gained, and she could always say 'no' if he tried anything.

Luckily, he was a gentleman at first, taking her on lavish dates and spoiling her rotten. But it was not long before he asked her to sleep with him. She already knew from Mai that Yugi was dating, so what did she have to lose? Tony was hot and it was a long time since she had enjoyed any intimacy, so she said 'yes'.

But the promised auditions never materialised, and having reeled her in, he told her he wanted her to dance in his club.

When she realised what sort of dancing that was, she refused.

However, when her phone died and she could not afford a new one, Tony gave her a new I-phone. She nearly threw it back at him when he hinted that she could repay him by working in the club.

As a compromise, she agreed to work as a waitress. She did not like it –the outfit she had to wear was too revealing and the customers were groping pigs!

But when the weather turned extremely cold and her wafer-thin coat and leaky shoes were not enough to keep her warm and dry, when she could not afford a new travel card for the subway, when her choice was to either pay the rent or keep her electricity meter topped up, she was forced to reconsider.

The truth was, she was stony broke and the money he was offering her to dance was good.

She sat down and looked at her budget: Her coffee shop job covered the rent and paid for some food, but not much else. Just two nights per week at the club would be enough for her not to have to worry.

It would also increase her chances of him finding her a part in a Broadway show... she hoped.

Swallowing her pride and shelving her dignity, she agreed.

That first night dancing in the club was terrifying, but with much encouragement and support from the other girls, along with a reluctant line of cocaine, she got through it.

That was five months ago and she was still waiting for her dream audition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	5. Threatened.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Anzu face the threat of violence, but events take a startling turn when her neighbour gets involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a good week. This chapter carries a bit of a warning. There is some pretty strong language, threats of extreme violence and some words that are very insulting. Someone is also fatally shot, and, I hope no one is squeamish, but there is blood.

After several seconds of staring at her phone, Anzu swiped venomously at the little red icon and rejected the call. She already had enough problems to sort out between herself and Yugi, without Tony giving her even more grief.

"Anzu, is everything alright?" Yugi asked, tentatively touching her arm.

She dismissed him with a wave of the hand. "Yeah... I'm fine. Tony can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure he's only ringing to tell me I'm sacked, and anyway, right now I don't care." Despite putting up a tough front, she was worried at the prospect of losing her income from the club, or that Tony would withdraw his promise to help her find a part in a Broadway show –not that she believed he was making much effort anyway.

"Well, if you say so.." Yugi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "But I don't like the sound of this guy. If you're going to have to see him, then I'm coming with you."

"No! You can't!" She gasped. "If he finds out it was you who interrupted the show..." She shook her head. "I don't want you near him Yugi. He's not the sort you mess with. He makes Hirutani look like a kitten." And when Yugi and Jonouchi faced Hirutani and his gang Yugi had the Millennium Puzzle to protect him.

"Then I don't want you near him either, got that?" His assertive tone meant that it was pointless for her to keep arguing.

"Yeah, I get it," she pouted. Sighing, she changed the topic of conversation. "We should drink our tea. It's probably nearly cold by now." But before she could reach for her now tepid brew, her phone started ringing again.

"Looks like he's not giving up," Yugi said, as Anzu grimaced and looked at her phone.

However, her eyebrows raised when she looked back up at Yugi. "It's not Tony, it's Abigail, one of the other dancers." Intrigued, she accepted the call.

Abigail had been on the receiving end of an abusive relationship and struggled with her drug addiction. Anzu found that sad, because underneath it all she was a nice person and was a good friend; helping Anzu get through that first, terrifying performance.

Anzu's relief that it was Abigail calling her was short lived. According to Abigail, Tony had been in the middle of a game of poker in the adjoining casino, when someone informed him that one of his dancers had run out in the middle of a performance. He was not best pleased, and was even less pleased when he found out it was his chick, and latest rising star, Bambi – aka Anzu.

Although full of dread, Anzu tried to keep her voice strong. "Did Tony say what he's planning to do? Is he firing me? Well, tell him I quit anyway," she retorted defiantly.

Abigail let out a hollow laugh, that sent shivers up Anzu's spine. "Worse than that honey. Ray told Tony you ran off with the Japanese guy who jumped the stage to cause trouble and had to be forcefully ejected from the club. Tony's drunk and I think he's done a few lines of coke as well. To add fuel to the fire, you rejected his call so he's coming round to see you right now. If that guy is with you, you best get him the hell outta there."

Upon hearing that news, Anzu's legs almost buckled under the weight of her fear. "Shit! Thanks Abi."

"Good luck sweetie, you're gonna need it." The two women hung up and Anzu turned to Yugi with a grave expression. If Tony found him here he would beat him, maim him, cripple him for life, or maybe even kill him. "You have to leave Yugi. Now!"

"Why? What's going on Anzu?" She was shaking with fear and he was worried about leaving her like this.

"Go!" She blurted. "Tony is coming here. If he finds you, he will mess you up badly, possibly even kill you, so go!"

"But what about you? I'm not going anywhere without you."

The stubborn determination being displayed by Yugi made Anzu's heart pound in her throat and her stomach churn."I'm not joking Yugi! He's dangerous."

"Even more reason for me not to leave you here." His stance was set firm. If he ran away and left her at the mercy of this dangerous man and she got hurt, he would never forgive himself for being cowardly.

If Anzu was not already panicking, she was now. What was it with men and their misplaced macho posturing?

"He won't hurt me Yugi," she tried to emphasise. "I'll tell him I ran out because I was upset about what happened. He'll believe me. Now go! Use the fire escape so you don't meet him on the way out. I'll call you later, okay?" She shoved his jacket and shoes at him.

"You're coming too," he protested, as she tried to bundle him towards the door.

::::::::::::

Meanwhile, a black Mustang skidded to a halt on the street below, and a tall, sinewy man, with short dark wavy hair and rugged features -that were still somehow finely sculpted, despite being hardened by years of crime- stepped out of the car. His clothing was expensive, and not wishing to ruin his Italian leather shoes, he stepped around the oily looking puddle.

He paused and looked around, rubbing his thumb and forefinger over his neatly trimmed beard. He then adjusted the body holster containing the pistol hidden underneath his black Armani blazer.

The trio of drug dealers opposite shrunk back into the dark cover of the alleyway, fearful that it was one of them he had come to sort out: Tony Moretti was well known around here and it would not be the first time he had punished a small time dealer for double dealing on his patch.

But he ignored them, and with some relief they realised that he must be here to see that Japanese chick they had sometimes seen him with.

Tony was disappointed with Anzu. Of all the chicks he had been with, she was one of his favourites; he had even thought about moving her in with him. But this little stunt she had pulled had blown her chances. Which was a shame, because she was a talented little bitch.

Quite what he was going to do with her now, he had not decided, but despite his anger he did not want to rough her up too much.

Same could not be said for the guy she had chased after. Ray said they seemed to know each other and the dude seemed pretty upset about her working as a stripper. The other bouncer, Marco, said he recognised the guy as a famous duelist called Yugi Mutou. Apparently Marco was in to the same card game, and said Mutou was also known as The King of Games.

Well fuck him. King or no King, Tony had never heard of Yugi Mutou. So what if the dude was a famous Gaming sensation. No one came into his club, assaulted one of his girls on stage and then had the nerve to argue with his bouncers while they threw him out, only to then go home with the girl in question –probably to fuck her.

His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist. If the little bastard was fucking her right now, he would shove the guys dick down his own throat.

Tony punched in the key code. He figured she had probably forgotten –or had no memory– of giving him the door code last week, when he had brought her home and she was too smashed to be able to input the code herself. This was now to his benefit because it meant that she and that dude would not have the opportunity to make a run for it.

Having let himself in, he grinned menacingly and made his way up the stairs.

::::::::::::

Yugi and Anzu looked at each other when the door bell rang.

Someone started thumping on the door. "Anzu! It's me, Tony. Open the door."

Their blood ran cold; it was too late for them to escape now.

Anzu's hand flew to her mouth to try and suppress a whimper. How did Tony get into the building? Either someone had let him in, or... That night last week, when he brought her home. She must have told him the door code.

"What do we do now?" Yugi whispered.

"Pretend we're not here," she suggested weakly. She jumped when Tony hammered on the door again.

"Anzu! I know you're in there. C'mon, I only wanna talk, love." He appeared to be trying a slightly friendlier approach.

However, Anzu doubted he was being sincere and mouthed to Yugi to go and hide in the wardrobe. He shook his head. "We face this together."

She grimaced at him in frustration. Why wouldn't he do as she asked? "Window," she suddenly thought, running over to pull the curtains open, in a vague hope that there might be a drainpipe or a service ladder within reach for them to climb down. Grime and soot coated the outside of the window and it was hard to see much, but she could see enough to know that there was no way they could reach the fire escape from here without falling to their probable deaths.

She sighed in defeat.

Tony continued to bang on the door. Now he was starting to swear and make loud angry threats. There was only one thing for it.

Deciding to try and charm her way out, she called out. "Sorry Tony! I didn't hear you. I just got out of the shower." But she didn't open the door.

"You don't run out in the middle of a show. And you don't pick punters up and bring them home, you bitch. You belong to me. Now, open the door."

"Not until you calm down and listen. You know I would never pick up a punter. The guy I ran after is my brother. He was really upset when he saw it was me on stage. I need to sort things out before he tells our parents. So, can you please leave and let me deal with this. I will talk to you tomorrow, I promise."

Brother?! Yugi was impressed by her fast thinking.

"You lying whore," he hissed menacingly. "Open the door before I kick it down," he ordered.

"No!" She said firmly. "I'm tired and you're too angry to deal with this rationally right now. I will talk to you tomorrow."

"I know that guy ain't your brother. Marco said he's Yugi Mutou, the fucking Duel Monsters King. But I don't give a shit who he is, I'll still kill the bastard!"

"No! You're wrong." She was trying desperately not to let on how afraid she was right now.

"You belong to me! Fucking whore. If you don't open up, I'm gonna fucking kick the door down, you little slut!"

Hurt by all those hateful insults, Anzu jumped back and put her hands over her face in distress.

Yugi put his arms around her protectively. "How dare he call you those things," he snarled.

"Please don't say anything Yugi. You'll make it worse than it already is."

Yugi did not think it could not get much worse.

Tony was now trying to kick the door down, in what could probably be described as a drug fuelled rage, while continuing to make nasty threats.

Thankfully, the door was pretty solid and it was holding firm, for now.

It took courage to get close to the door, but Anzu somehow managed to put the bolt and chain across for added precaution, but there was no certainty that it would hold before help arrived.

"If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!" Her jaw was starting to tremble so much she could hardly speak. Her hands were also trembling and she was fumbling to even get the key pad up on her phone..

Used to facing threats of death during past duels, and not to mention while being bullied, Yugi was much calmer. He already had his own phone out ready.

But before either of them had chance to ring 911, another voice joined the shouting. "Some people are trying to sleep jerk wad! So take your fucking domestic elsewhere."

Anzu thought she recognised the voice as her neighbour from the apartment opposite. He was polite enough towards her, but she was pretty sure he had served time for burglary and assault. He had also been involved in an argument with a couple from the apartment next door and by their accounts he was a nasty piece of work.

"Fuck off prick! Mind your own business," they heard Tony say to the neighbour.

"What did you just say, ass-hole?"

"I told you to fuck off and mind your own business, dick head."

"Oh, god! They're gonna kill each other." Anzu somehow pulled herself together enough to call the police.

Before the operator even answered, a fight was already starting in the corridor outside.

A woman started screaming at the men to stop fighting, and then there was a single gunshot. The woman screamed again, this time in terror.

They heard a body thud against Anzu's front door, along with a pained groan, as whoever had been shot slid down the door to her apartment. Yugi and Anzu looked at each other, their expressions grim as the colour drained from their faces.

"Oh! My, god Drew... What the fuck have you done?!" The woman in the corridor yelled hysterically.

"It ain't my fault!" The man yelled back, his voice desperate. "He pulled a fucking gun! I was tryin' ta get it off him before he shot me!"

"Yeah, but you're already on bail. They'll send you back to prison, for sure."

"It was self defence! It went off! That could be me laying on the floor with a fucking bullet in my guts."

"Is he dead?" They heard the woman in the corridor ask.

"I ain't stickin' round ta find out," Drew snapped.

"You can't run or they will think you murdered him!"

Anzu tried not to panic as she explained to the operator that a man had just been shot. "I don't know," she said when the operator asked her if the man was still alive. She turned to Yugi. "What do we do? She wants to know where he's been shot and if he's alive. "

"You give them the address, I'll go and check." Without hesitation, Yugi opened the door.

A man and a woman were standing there arguing about who's fault it was and what they were going to do about it, while at his feet another man lay curled in a ball on the floor, bleeding from an entry wound in his stomach and a larger exit wound in his back.

The arguing couple turned and glared at Yugi as if he was a space alien, while another apartment door cracked open and someone peered out anxiously.

"Who are you?" Drew snapped at Yugi nastily. He was a big man with a shaved head and lots of tattoos on his bare chest, arms and knuckles. In Japan, tattoos were more likely to mean someone was a Yakuza gang member, so Yugi found it a little unnerving.

"It's okay, I'm not here to accuse you of anything," he said, holding his hands up. "I just came out to see if there's anything I can do to help, that's all."

The couple grunted at him but did not make any move towards him, so Yugi assessed the situation further. He was relieved to see the gun had landed a couple of feet away from Tony, and that he looked in no condition to try and reach for it.

Even though Tony had made nasty threats, Yugi could not stand there and do nothing so he crouched down to see if there was anything he could do to help. "Can you hear me? I'm.. erm.. I'm gonna check your wound, okay?" Tony was shuddering, but there was no real reaction to Yugi's presence.

However, he jumped back when Tony started writhing in agony and making pitiful groaning sounds. Yugi even thought he heard Tony telling him to 'go fuck himself.'

Meanwhile, Anzu peered out. "How bad is it Yugi?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "I dunno. He won't let me near, but it looks bad. The bullet went right through."

Anzu relayed the information to the operator. "An ambulance and the police are on their way," she said, finishing the call.

Someone else came out of their apartment with an old, threadbare towel, and offered it to Yugi. Thanking them, he tried again to help. This time, Tony was too far gone to try and protest, so Yugi pressed the towel over the wound in his back, as firmly as he dare, in an effort to help stem the worst of the bleeding.

Meanwhile, the neighbour involved in the fight had run back into his apartment to pack some belongings so that he could make a run for it. His girlfriend continued to try and convince him that running was a stupid thing to do, because he had nowhere to run too.

They heard sirens approaching.

The neighbour came running back out of his apartment with a carrier bag full of clothes in his hand.

"Shit! I don't want the cops!" He rounded on Anzu, pointing a finger at her. "This is your fault! He was hammering on your door. I don't wanna go back to jail. You tell em I was trying to protect you. He pulled a gun but when I tried to disarm him it went off by mistake."

"I didn't see what happened." Anzu looked at him. "But I do know that Tony carries a gun like that one." She pointed to the gun still laying on the floor. "I can only guess that it went off in the scuffle. Did you touch the gun?"

"I don't fucking know! I don't think so. It was in his hand. I grabbed his wrist. He was twisting about." Snarling, he went for the fire escape, only to find it was locked. He cursed. So much for meeting fire safety regulations!

Horrified at the knowledge that the fire door had been locked all along, Anzu went to meet the paramedics and police. Quite a few people had heard the commotion and had out of their apartments to see what was happening and someone had already let them in.

The landlord staggered out, beer bottle in hand, demanding to know who had called the police. Anzu ignored him and told the Paramedics and four armed police officers where the injured man was.

The police went first. Anzu and the medics followed.

Before she could explain the events leading up to the shooting, the police officers handcuffed Anzu's neighbour. He was known to them for previous violent offences and they were taking no chances. As far as they were concerned he was their number one suspect.

He was dragged away, all the time protesting his innocence.

Meanwhile, Yugi moved away from the so called 'victim' on the floor to let the medics do their work. The few inquisitive people who had gathered in the hallway watched on as they tried to stabilise the casualty before rushing him off to hospital.

"Show is over people," one of the police officers said, ushering the other residents back into their homes. None of them wanted trouble and scurried back to their apartments.

Yugi and Anzu looked at each other. "You okay?" He asked, solemnly.

Anzu shuddered. "I can't believe it has ended like this, Yugi. I know he threatened us, but still... I hope they can save him." Just because he had been threatening, she could not bring herself to wish death on him.

Yugi was not too sure what to make of Anzu's involvement with her boss. The vicious, personal insults and the way he aimed them at her; he might be wrong, but he was under the impression Tony was more than just her boss.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Let's wait and see, huh? Sure the police will tell us." He was no expert, but he had seen enough violent movies to know that the bullet wound was bad, and judging by the look on the paramedics faces, he was certain Tony's odds were not good. "Let's get back inside. I need to wash this blood off my hands." He was not the squeamish type, it still made him feel gross.

"Oh, Yugi.. Your shirt is ruined." She had done a fair bit of damage by smearing make-up and tear stains on his nice silk shirt, but the addition of blood on the sleeve had completely ruined it.

Just as they were going back inside, a police officer called out to them. "Hey! You two are key witnesses. We're gonna need to take statements from you."

"Oh! Yes. Okay officer," Anzu replied, trying not to sound sheepish and guilty. "We didn't really see much until after the gun went off. But we'll tell you what we can." It appeared they had no idea she was the reason Tony had come here in the first place. However, they would find out eventually and she wondered if she should say anything.

No. She would keep quiet for now; the last thing she wanted was for them to drag her and Yugi off to the police station for questioning.

"Good. Forensics will be here soon, in the meantime me and my colleague have to secure this area since it's now a crime scene. So I suggest the pair of you stay put in your apartment and wait. They'll probably send a detective over to talk to you in the morning, after they've interviewed your neighbour."

"Are they charging him with murder?" Anzu wondered whether she should speak up for Drew.

"Can't say Miss. Investigation is still ongoing. In the meantime, I suggest you both try and get some sleep." He turned away to talk to his colleague.

She chewed her lip. "Erm.. Excuse me?" She interrupted. "Do you know if..." She stopped her self just in time from saying Tony. "It's scary someone getting shot outside my apartment. Will he be okay?"

The officer's face twitched, possibly with suspicion – Anzu couldn't tell exactly – but he did not question her. "Hard to tell. But having seen people shot in the guts at close range, I doubt it."

His words made her shudder and Yugi decided to usher her inside quick. "Thank you officer. Good night," he said, glancing back over his shoulder.

He followed Anzu inside. Not wanting to put his bloodied hands on the door, he pushed it closed with his elbow. "I need to wash this off," he said, going straight for the kitchen sink.

"Oh, god, Yugi. What have I done?" She slumped against the kitchen counter. He paused scrubbing his hands and twisted slightly to look at her.

"You haven't done anything wrong Anzu. You mustn't blame yourself. It's not your fault he came here to start trouble."

"How can you be so calm? You're always calm."

"I've had a lot of practice," he snorted lightly, remembering all the things that could have driven him insane if it were not for Atem and the support of his friends.

"So have I," she said bitterly. "But even being used as a mind puppet hasn't prepared me for this!"

He took his shirt off, revealing a white muscle shirt underneath, covering his slim, nicely toned body. "What should I do with this?" He held his ruined shirt up.

"I'll put it into soak in some detergent. You never know, it might get the stains out." Her gaze lingered on his nice physique. "Will you be warm enough? I have an oversized hooded top that might fit you."

"Thanks," he said, drying his hands. They were sore from scrubbing, so Anzu gave him some lotion to put on.

"I don't know if I can sleep," she said, sighing. "I might make some hot chocolate. Do you want some?"

"No. I think I'll try and sleep. I'm supposed to be at work by ten tomorrow." He checked the time, It was nearly one o'clock in the morning already. He looked around awkwardly. "I guess I'll sleep on the sofa then." He rubbed his hands on his thighs.

"Don't be daft. You'll end up with a stiff neck if you try and sleep on that. You can sleep in my bed."

"Right.. Thanks.. Where will you sleep?" He shifted his feet awkwardly.

"It's a double so it's plenty big enough for both of us. Be like old times but without the..." She cringed and shut her mouth when a hopeful look appeared on his face.

"I wasn't thinking..." he blushed. "I'll use the bathroom first then, and.. I don't suppose you have a spare toothbrush I could use, do you?"

"Oh! Yes, I think there's a pack of cheap ones in the bathroom cabinet. There's some mouthwash and floss too if you need it."

Thanking her, he padded to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Anzu decided she could not be bothered to make hit chocolate and had a glass of milk instead, which she gulped straight down before going into the bedroom to remove her make-up.

She nearly shrieked at her reflection. She looked awful; with puffy red eyes, mascara and eye-shadow smeared into her thick foundation and blusher. And one of her false eyelashes was coming off – she thought it had felt strange. She decided to remove them both.

Yugi returned, having washed and brushed his teeth. He grimaced when he saw the eyelashes in her hand. "I'm glad you've taken those things off, you look much prettier without them. They looked like giant spiders on your eyes," he said in a way that was half joking and half serious, but in truth, he hated them.

"Yeah, well the spiders are going in the bin," she said, ceremoniously discarding them. "Good riddance spiders. Did you find a toothbrush Yugi?"

He nodded. "I did, thanks." He made a gesture towards the bed. "Which side do you want me to take?"

"That side," she said, pointing to the left hand side. "But I tend to sprawl myself out, so be warned, I might end up on top of you." Even before she finished saying it, she realised how that sounded. Her face flushed, but luckily it was already pink from rubbing her make-up off so she hoped he would not notice. He did.

He was blushing, but also had a naughty smirk on his face. "I look forward to it," he said, cheekily.

"I didn't mean.. Doh," she tutted, "you're worse than Jonouchi." She grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at him. "Here, you use this one. I'm just going to do my teeth and wash the rest of this make-up off."

Smiling, he caught the pillow and hugged it against his chest as he watched her leave the room. They still had some things to sort out, and he was sure the police interview in the morning might be rough for her, but in the little exchanges between them just now he saw some of the feisty girl he once knew.

He would play it safe tonight, but was hopeful that there might still be some hope for them to re-kindle their romance in the near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's Tony dealt with. Hopefully Yugi and Anzu can now resolve their differences.
> 
> Please review.


	6. Sleeping Arrangements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some angst, awkwardness, but no swearing in this chapter.

Anzu took ages in the bathroom. Partly because she hoped Yugi would already be asleep by the time she got into bed, and partly because she was still too upset to sleep.

She brushed her teeth and then decided to take a shower, in the hope that it might wash away some of the stress she was feeling.

But as she squeezed her eyes shut to lather shampoo into her hair, the horror of the night filled her mind, projecting itself in vivid detail onto the backs of her closed eyelids:  
The awful moment when Yugi confronted her in the middle of her performance; he was looking at her with so much anger and confusion on his face. Running after him in a blind panic, as he was ejected from the club by the bouncers. The hurtful exchange of words between them. Crying out her problems on his shoulder. The vicious insults being hurled at her by Tony, as he tried to break the door down. The fight, followed by a single gunshot. And finally, Tony laying on the floor, bleeding profusely.

Each of these images played themselves over and over until she gasped, opening her eyes despite the soapy water running over her face.

She pummelled the wall of the shower in frustration: What was she going to do?

The police had taken her neighbour for questioning, so it was only a matter of time before he told them she was the cause of all this. The police would arrest her for obstructing the investigation; is that how it worked in New York? She had always been a law-biding citizen and had no idea what it was like to be on the wrong end of the law.

Why had she not just been honest and told them in the first place? Embarrassment about the police finding out she was a stripper? Possibly. But mostly it was the fear of Yugi finding out that Tony was her boyfriend.

They might ask her really intrusive questions about her relationship with Tony, and then she would have to confess all in front of Yugi. Did he already suspect that Tony was not only her boss, but also her lover? Yugi might want to believe she was coerced into dating Tony, but truth was, she was not really coerced into anything; she could have said 'no' to that first date, but chose not to because her dreams were more important than her principles.

How much did Yugi already suspect? He was not stupid. He must be wondering why her boss would bother coming to her apartment, in a fit of seemingly jealous rage.

Her friendship with Yugi was already hanging by a delicate thread as it was. The mean things she had already done to avoid him over the last year were already enough to scare off a lesser man. But even though he had been her friend for years, and was even willing to take her back as his girlfriend, even Yugi would get to the point where he had had enough of her crap eventually.

She was not sure how she even felt about the possibility of him walking away from her for good, because right now she was not sure if she even cared. Relationships were too much trouble, it seemed.

Maybe she was just tired and emotionally drained. She was certainly tired of constantly trying and failing to get anywhere. All those lies she had told her mum and dad about how well she was doing; leading them to believe she was having a great time and had a fantastic job, when in actual fact she was so financially hard up and desperate that she had believed the lies of a playboy gangster, dated him, and agreed to work as a stripper on the promise that he would help her into a show on Broadway.

What a fool she was.

::::::::::::

Finally gathering her composure, she dried herself off and rubbed some soothing body lotion into her skin, before pulling on her dressing gown, wrapping her hair in a towel and tiptoeing back to the bedroom. Rather than wake Yugi, she decided to dry her hair in the sitting room.

When she entered the bedroom to fetch her hair-dryer, Yugi was laying on his back, his hands behind his head as he rested. But the moment he heard her, he opened his eyes and pushed himself up onto his elbows. "What took you so long?" The look he was giving her was full of concern, but she could not bring herself to tell him how she was feeling.

Instead, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I had a shower. Sorry. Did I keep you from sleeping?"

"It got to the point where I was about to come and bang on the bathroom door, to check if you were okay." He studied her, face etched with concern. "I'm worried about you, Anzu," he admitted, voice gentle and sincere.

She was heartened, but still not willing to offload her problems on him. Instead, she forced herself to look surprised at his assumption, while at the same time pretending to be cheerful. "Really? There's no need; I'm fine. Do you mind if I dry my hair? I'll try and be quick."

He knew her well enough to know she was putting on a brave act, but decided not to confront her further. He forced a smile, all be it a sad one. "Go ahead, I don't mind." He rolled over onto his side to watch her. "I like your hair longer," he added appreciatively, hoping it might ease some of the tension in the air between them.

Caught off-guard by the compliment, she turned to look at him, but quickly turned back to face the mirror again when he smiled at her; that smile would be the undoing of her.

Yugi continued to watch, imagining himself running his fingers through her rich, silky chestnut hair.

She finished drying her hair, but now she needed to remove her dressing gown so that she could put on her pyjamas; she could not do that with him watching her. "Can you..." she began to speak but noticed he had that dreamy, but naughty, look on his face. She rolled her eyes."Geez, Yugi. What are you thinking?" If he was imagining her naked, like she thought he was, then she was not best pleased.

"Nothing," he blushed, forcing a pretend yawn. "Just tired."

"Oh. Well in that case, close your eyes and turn away. I need to put some pyjamas on." Feeling like a scolded puppy, he shuffled over to face away from her.

Satisfied he was not looking, she went to her drawer and pulled out the frumpiest pair of flannelette pyjamas she could find –her warm ones for winter. Hurriedly dropping her gown to the floor, she pulled them on. They were absolutely perfect; there was no way he would get turned on by the sight of her in these.

"Okay. You can look now." When he turned around and saw her, he did not react in any way whatsoever to what she was wearing, and it comforted her to know that even if he was disappointed that she was not in a baby doll nightdress, he would not order her to put on something sexy, like Tony would have.

Knowing she was with a man she could trust, she climbed into bed. As she did so, she noticed that Yugi was still wearing his vest top. "Would you like me to find you something to sleep in?" She asked politely, so as not to appear as though she was ordering him around.

He looked down at himself. "I'm fine," he replied.

She pursed her lips, trying to contain her displeasure that he was wearing clothes that he had worn all day to sleep in. "What have you got on your bottom half?" She could not see his trousers on the floor anywhere and hoped he was not still wearing them.

"My boxers," he replied, noting the frown on her face. "They were clean on this morning," he reiterated, remembering how she had said boys were disgusting and gross, when Jonouchi once boasted about wearing his underpants for nearly a week.

Her face softened. "Yes, but you will have to wear them tomorrow too, so best not sleep in them, eh? I might have something else you can wear." She hopped out of bed and went to the drawer to rummage around. Yugi knew it was pointless arguing, so he smiled and thanked her.

She soon found what she was looking for.

"These will do." She held up some baggy lounge pants. "What'd you think?"

"They're pink!" he complained. "With... what are those things? " He squeaked, grimacing.

"They're fairies. I like fairies. And no one will see you... except me," she teased.

"Can't I just sleep in my boxers?" He grinned impishly.

"Yugi! That's gross. If you're going to insist on sleeping in them, you can sleep on the floor."

Sighing, he pouted and took them from her; he did not want to sleep on the floor.

He sat on the edge of the bed with his back towards her to change, but she still caught a nice glimpse of his backside when he stood to pull the boxers off and put the fairy trousers on.

He turned around to face her. "I look stupid," he pouted. She tried not to laugh, in case he refused to wear them. But they were a reasonable fit; thanks to the elasticated waist, that was loose on Anzu's trim twenty four inch waist, but just about stretched around his twenty nine inch waist.

She tried to placate him. "They're only for sleeping in."

"well, I guess." They were nice and soft to wear.

"You can wear this instead of your vest. It belonged to one of the guys I used to house-share with. He left it behind when he went home and I kept it in case he wanted it back. But he never got in touch." She handed him a baggy singlet. It was plain black, so he happily put it on. It was a bit flimsy, with slashed sides for armholes, but other than that he had no complaints; it was fine for sleeping in.

Yugi waited for her to climb into bed, before getting back in on his side. "I set my alarm for eight thirty by the way," he told her. "Only I have to be at the convention for eleven."

"You're still going in?" She asked in surprise.

"I must," he sighed.

"Well, okay. Guess I will get up then too, in case the police arrive early."

"Yeah. I just hope they don't keep us too long. Anyway. Good night Anzu." He considered giving her a kiss goodnight, but she looked anxious so he was not sure if it would be appropriate. After hesitating, he decided not to. "Erm...Night Anzu."

"Night Yugi." She reached for the lamp and turned it off, before snuggling down with her back facing him.

Unsure what to make of her body language; he knew her well enough – or he thought he did – to know it was her way of saying don't come near me.

He rolled onto his back and looked up at the darkened ceiling. He wished she would let him cuddle her; nothing more, just a cuddle. But she seemed very uptight around him. He could be wrong, but he wondered if Tony had mistreated her and made her a little afraid, even around an old and trusted friend like himself.

He turned over as carefully as he could so that he could watch her. She was fidgety and her breathing was ragged, indicating she might not be asleep yet. When she reached across to her night stand and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose, he knew she was struggling to sleep.

She finished blowing her nose and then hopped out of bed and trotted to the bathroom. When she came back, Yugi looked up at her with concern.

"Sorry," she whispered, "Did I wake you? I went to get a glass of water so I can take some pills. My nose is blocked from all that crying and I've got a headache."

"You didn't wake me," he replied. "I can't sleep either. Is your head bad?"

She placed her water down and slid back into bed. "It's just tiredness and stress."

"Is it me making you nervous? You know I would never hurt you."

"Of course I know that," she said irritably. "Sorry," she sighed. "I didn't mean to snap. It's not you. It's everything. And no; I'm not ready to talk about it." Talking would be too painful.

"Well, I'm here whenever you need me," he said.

Comforted by the kindness and sincerity in his voice, she scooted closer and snuggled against him. "Do you mind cuddling me? I miss your cuddles."

"Of course I don't mind!" He was desperate to cuddle her.

She curled herself into his embrace and rested her head against his chest. The gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, accompanied with the soothing strokes with the tips of his fingers on her head was enough to soothe her somewhat and she soon drifted off.

Yugi thought he might not be able to get to sleep with Anzu's weight on him, but as long as he had Anzu in his arms he was content.

::::::::::::

Yugi was woken by his alarm at eight thirty and was surprised to find himself alone in bed.

There was a slight indentation in Anzu's pillow where her head had been, so he reached over to touch the sheets on her side of the bed and found it was still warm, indicating she had not long risen.

Yawning, he let out a groan and stretched himself out. He groaned again and lay on his back, with his knees pointing up to the ceiling and the soles of his feet resting on the bed. He scratched his sides and flexed his tired muscles. He noticed his arm was a bit sore from his scuffle with the bouncers and when he looked at it he saw that a nice bruise had formed where they had gripped his upper arm.

He took a deep breath, let it back out, and then made an unsuccessful attempt to get himself out of bed.

His mouth was dry and his bladder was full. He made a more determined effort, and this time managed to roll out of bed. Once upright, he wobbled a bit as stars circled his head; he really had not expected to wake with what felt like a hangover –where were those headache pills?

He wandered out into the living area to find Anzu waiting for a pot of tea to brew. She looked very tired, but still smiled at him nicely. "Morning sleepyhead," she said, noting his bed hair, tired, unshaven face, droopy posture and... he was still wearing the fairy trousers. Better not tell him he looked cute in them.

"Morning," he mumbled, his tongue sticking itself to the roof of his mouth. "I feel trashed," he grumbled hoarsely.

"On top of a difficult night, you're probably still feeling the effects of jet lag," she told him. "Took me three days to get over it when I first arrived here."

"Do you think I could have some of those headache pills please?"

Yes, of course. I'll go and get them; I put them back in the cupboard." She disappeared to the bathroom and returned with a packet of Paracetamol. "You should probably take two." She filled a glass with some water and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He took a sip, then popped in a pill and took another sip, repeating the same action with the second pill, before downing the rest of the water. "I'm just going to use the bathroom," he told her, knowing his bladder could not wait much longer.

"Would you like some tea and toast?"

"Yes please," he said, perking up at the mention of food. "I won't be a moment," he added, and scurried to the bathroom.

She shook her head lightly. Just for a moment, she found herself feeling nostalgic. But in that same moment of reflection, she realised that in different circumstances she could wake up every morning to a sleepy Yugi.

He reappeared a couple of minutes later, still looking sleepy. Anzu was busy putting place mats and mugs of tea on the table, so he went to sit down. "Which tea is mine?" He asked.

"Either. What do you want on your toast? I only eat brown bread, so no white. And I don't have any butter, just low fat spread. I do have peanut butter though, and some chocolate spread as well."

"I don't mind, I'll have whatever you're having."

"Chocolate spread it is then," she said, grabbing the jar from the small shelf. Yugi thought she was trying too hard to be cheerful.

He watched as she slapped chocolate spread onto four slices of toast and then cut them diagonally, sharing them between two, rather old, chipped plates. She brought them over to the table and sat down. He tried not to study her too intently, but it was very obvious that she did not want him to know how anxious she was.

"This smells good," he smiled, picking up a chocolate spread covered slice of toast.

He was hungry and tucked in. Anzu smiled at the sight of him devouring his toast. But she was only able to nibble at hers; her stomach was nervous this morning, taking away her appetite. She put her toast down and pushed her plate over towards him. "Here," she said, "I'm not very hungry." He looked up at her, growing concerned when he saw how miserable she looked – the mask had slipped.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just a bit anxious, that's all," she replied. "I'll feel better once I've got the police interview over. I wonder if Tony survived."

He stopped eating and looked at her. "How would you feel if he didn't?"

"What sort of a question is that?" She said defensively.

"A valid one. It's just, well, he was your boss and, I don't know, maybe he was your friend too." He was looking at her, waiting for her to tell him the truth, but she was not sure if she wanted to tell him. But she could see it in the way he looked at her that he suspected something.

"He..." Her voice crackled. She cleared her throat and took a sip of tea. There was a knock on the door and they both stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. Saved by the police, ironically, she realised.

She got up and went to the door, calling out, "Who is it?" Before daring to unlock the door and open it.

"Miss Mazaki! It's the police." Overnight they had kept her neighbour in a cell until detectives were ready to interview him. As expected of him, the neighbour had been truculent, but, realising his situation was dire, he had eventually admitted that he had no idea who the dude who got shot was. He told them that he had been asleep in bed, but had been woken when he heard someone shouting and banging on the door of the woman who lived in the apartment opposite his. He heard two men yelling at each other, and when he went out to tell them to shut up, he heard a gunshot. He claimed to have waited a minute before going out to see what had happened,and saw a guy with crazy hair, standing over a guy with a gun in his hand. When the guy saw him, he threw the gun down and said it was an accident and had gone off in the fight.

When asked if he knew the woman who lived in the apartment, he told them that he hardly knew her, but that they had bumped into each other on the stairs a couple of times, and she had introduced herself; he could not remember her name, but though it sounded Japanese. He said he thought she worked as a hooker, like many of the women in that area.

The police ran some background checks on the occupant of the apartment in question, and discovered the woman's name was Anzu Mazaki; a Japanese national who had been living legally in New York for five years. She had originally arrived on a student visa to study dance and had graduated eighteen months ago. She had no previous convictions and appeared to be a model citizen. Why she became mixed up with a toe-rag like Tony Moretti, they could only guess at this stage, but knew from experience that girls who ended up in the clutches of men like Moretti, usually did so because they were often addicted to drugs, were runaways or trafficked and had nowhere else to go. Hopefully, she was one more girl they could save – if she wanted to be saved, that is; many girls in this situation refused to co-operate out of fear.

Keen to talk to her, they were now standing outside Anzu's Apartment.

Swallowing a lump, Anzu opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	7. Police Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we have the police interview. Quite a few revelations are made, and there are a few shocking surprises in store. As well as the mention of death and guns, I should also warn that there is talk of rape, prostitution, human trafficking and drug taking, which may be upsetting for some people.
> 
> Apart from that, enjoy!

Two plain clothed detectives stood at her door. One was older, roughly in his mid fifties, with sandy coloured hair that was going grey and thinning on top. He was clean shaven, with brown eyes, and ruddy, haggard features; no doubt worn by years of dealing with violent criminals. His dark brown linen suit was well worn and he had a potbelly –courtesy of too many hot-dogs and doughnuts- straining at his pale blue button up shirt. He introduced himself as Detective Inspector David O'Reilly.

The other detective was tall, slim, and much younger. Still at the start of his career, he was obviously keen to impress in his tailored dark grey suit, pale pink tie and white shirt. His short dark hair was neatly combed, and his keen blue eyes were taking everything in. The only thing out of place was his bushy moustache, which really did not suit him. Anzu figured he had probably grown it to look older and more distinguished. He was introduced by his colleague as Detective Matt Henderson.

Not knowing what to say, Anzu clung to the door, gazing at them with unease.

"May we come in Miss Mazaki?" D.I. O'Reilly asked in a friendly manner, which put her slightly more at ease.

"Oh! Yes, of course." She wondered how they found out her name, and then realised that they probably got it from her drunken landlord, who held the tenancy agreement. She wondered what else they already knew about her life: Well, if they had checked her status they would at least know she held a valid green card and had never been in trouble with the law before.

Before allowing them inside, she hesitated and cleared her throat. "Hmm.. Do you have any news on Tony? Did he... is he... okay?" She asked feebly.

Both detectives were studying her with expressions she could not quite determine, but she got the distinct impression they were assessing her.

The older one answered her question, "I'm afraid he didn't make it through surgery, Miss. Too much internal damage. Was Tony Moretti a good friend of yours?"

What was that supposed to imply? Anzu wondered, sucking on her bottom lip to stop it trembling; despite knowing his injury was such that he might not live, it was still shocking news to hear he had died.

"Sort of," she somehow managed to reply, "He's my... was my.. employer. I'm a... I'm a dancer at his club." She disliked calling herself an erotic dancer, or a stripper, but they looked at her as if they already knew what she did for a living, and it made her feel ashamed. Did they think she was trash?

"Can we talk inside?" D.I. O'Reilly pressed, not really willing to discuss anything further while standing in the hallway.

Realising she was still standing in their way, Anzu shrunk backwards and apologised, gesturing for them to come in.

The detectives marched inside, their attention now on Yugi: So, this was the man who had supposedly fought with a hardened gangster, wrestled the gun from him and somehow managed to shoot him. Looking at the guy, that was doubtful. "Nice pants by the way," the older one said sarcastically, smirking at the fairy lounge pants Yugi was still wearing. His younger colleague snickered.

Feeling very self conscious, Yugi looked down at his attire,"They're not mine," he said defensively, "Anzu let me wear them to sleep in." Realising afterwards how that probably sounded, he added. "All my clothes are at my hotel."

Already deciding the pair were judgemental and obnoxious, Anzu waded in. "Yugi is my friend. He's visiting me from Japan and wasn't expecting to be staying all night."

"Is that so, Miss," D.I. O'Reilly snorted lightly. "Is there somewhere we can all sit?"

Geez! What was with this old dude's attitude? Anzu seethed, as she unfolded two extra dining chairs.

"Will this take very long detective?" Yugi asked politely. "Only I'm supposed to be at work by eleven."

The detectives both looked at him with slight confusion. "I thought you said you're a visitor from Japan?" The older one said.

"I work for Kaiba Corporation," Yugi clarified, "I'm actually here to attend a gaming convention and product launch, sponsored by Industrial Illusions, but I'm visiting while I'm here; Anzu is my friend. We've known each other for many years." At the mention of two of the biggest companies in the world, both officers raised their eyebrows.

"Then we'll try not to keep you too long, Mister... Can you give me your name? " He looked at Yugi, notepad and pen at the ready.

Yugi gave the detective his full name and was then asked to spell it out.

With everyone seated, the younger detective pulled out a recording device and started it going. "Just to let you know, this interview is being recorded for our records," he said, "Could you both speak your full names clearly please? One at a time."

Yugi and Anzu both nodded their agreement and spoke their names.

"Okay! Shall we begin?" D.I. O'Reilly noticed they were both a bit nervous, so he smiled, revealing neat, but nicotine yellowed teeth. "We just need to ask a few questions and clarify a few things we're not too sure of."

While he was talking, detective Henderson googled Yugi Mutou and his face lit up with intrigue. The guy was famous! He showed the long list of Wikipedia entries to his senior colleague, who raised an eyebrow.

"Well, well, looks like we're in the presence of a King," the older detective chuckled in amusement at the title, King of Games, that was highlighted in several of the articles. To confirm what they were looking at, the younger detective turned his I-pad around for Yugi and Anzu to see.

Yugi blushed; he was always a bit bashful about being referred to as famous. "I'm just good at playing games, that's all," he said casually.

Looking at the articles involving his affair with a pop star, they doubted that was all he was known for, but since that was not part of the investigation they let it go.

Moving on, D.I. O'Reilly cleared his throat, "Okay. Well, let's start with what we know so far." He addressed Anzu. "We have interviewed your neighbour, Andrew McKenzie, and he claims that he heard a fight going on in the hallway. When he heard the gunshot, he says he came out to investigate and found you," he turned his gaze to Yugi, "Mister Mutou, standing over Tony Moretti with a gun in your hand. Is that true?"

Yugi was mortified. "No way! It's not true!" He blurted, sitting bolt upright.

Horrified, Anzu reached out and clutched Yugi's wrist. "Yugi would never shoot anyone!" She gasped emotionally, "We were in here! We heard the gun go off and Yugi went out to see if he could help save Tony's life. He didn't touch the gun." She glanced at Yugi; at least, she did not remember him touching it. Neither detective reacted to what she said.

"Relax Mister Mutou. You are not our main suspect. We have taken some DNA samples, from under Tony Moretti's nails. They are still being analysed, but we're pretty certain the tissue sample will belong to Mister McKenzie, since scratches on his arm would seem to concur with that. But I must ask, Yugi – may I call you Yugi?" He did not wait for Yugi to reply, "Where did you get those bruises from?"

Yugi rubbed his arm self consciously, and sighed. "I was thrown out of a nightclub. I haven't seen Anzu for a while and... well, I wasn't too happy when I saw her dancing on stage. I reacted a bit... rashly. Anzu came outside to find me and we came here." He looked at her for support and she nodded.

"I didn't want to leave it like that so I ran outside to find him and explain. Yugi was upset at me and I was upset too, so we argued, then he came home with me to talk. We were still talking when Tony turned up and started making threats," she explained.

The detectives looked at them inquisitively.

"I'm guessing seeing someone you know performing as an erotic dancer is a rather big surprise!" D.I. O'Reilly mused out loud.

"Surprise!" Yugi snapped gruffly."It was way worse than that." He gave Anzu an apologetic look.

"It's okay Yugi. I'll explain," she said wearily. "Yugi and I used to be a couple but we split up ages ago. I had no idea he would come to New York and actually visit the club where I work, to watch the... show," she cast him a withering look and sighed, "But, unfortunately he did, and it was just as big of a shock for me as it was for him."

"Did Tony Moretti know about your relationship with Mister Mutou? Is that why he was outside your door making a noise? Or is there more to it than that?" D.I. O'Reilly continued.

"He doesn't know about Yugi and me dating. But I guess Ray, the bouncer, suspected there was something going on with us, and must have told him. Tony was also pretty pissed that I ran out in the middle of a show."

"Would you like to tell me what actually happened after Tony Moretti arrived here?"

Anzu and Yugi looked at each other, and Yugi took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"He started hammering on the door. Anzu was afraid he would kill me, so she was about to call the police when we heard her neighbour's voice yelling at him to keep quiet and take his domestic elsewhere. Then they started fighting, and then we heard the gunshot. A woman was screaming and I went out to see what I could do to help." Neither detective gave any indication as to whether they believed what he was saying.

"Don't you think going out to help was a bit foolish? Especially if someone has a gun and is willing to shoot," Detective Henderson wondered.

Yugi frowned. Now that he thought about it... "Maybe," he said. "But the way the couple were talking, it sounded like the gun went off by accident."

At Yugi's explanation, D.I. O'Reilly tapped his chin with his pen. "Now, don't get offended Miss, but when we interviewed your neighbour, he told us that he thought you worked as a hooker. He thought Moretti was probably your pimp, which was why he was here. Is there any truth in that?"

"How dare he! He knows nothing about me! I'm most certainly NOT a hooker. Okay, I admit that I work as a stripper one night per week, and I do a second shift as a podium dancer –which doesn't involve stripping. But the club's licensed and dancing certainly isn't a crime! So I can't understand what you're trying to accuse me of?" she said, irritably.

Yugi put his arm around her and tried to console her. "Don't be upset Anzu. They just want the truth. If you tell them, it'll be fine," he said very quietly in Japanese.

"I know Yugi. But first they imply you might have shot Tony, then they accuse me of being a prostitute! They probably think I'm trash." She looked at the detectives and reverted to English. "I'm not trash. I'm a graduate from Juilliard, who's part time job in a cafe doesn't cover the bills, so I work a second job as an erotic dancer. It's not what I want to do, but it's better than starving."

"It's okay Miss. We're not judging you, and you're not in any trouble for the work you do. We just want to make sure you're not a victim of trafficking, being forced to work in the sex trade," Detective Henderson explained. The older detective acknowledged his subordinate with a nod of the head, and took over.

"Sex trade?" Anzu questioned, frowning. Something about where this conversation was going set off alarm bells in her mind.

"I would urge you to be honest Miss Mazaki. Did Tony Moretti ever force you to work as a prostitute?"

"What? No!" Anzu gasped. "Definitely not!" She said adamantly. "Even if he did ask, I would say no. I'm not that desperate. What are you saying?"

The older detective smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry if you're offended Miss Mazaki, but let me explain; we need to know how you got involved with Tony Moretti? He's already known as bit of a local player, but he has also been under investigation for his part in trafficking girls into the sex trade. Many of the victims we have rescued are illegal immigrants, who are frightened and often don't wanna talk. But although he's dead now, his associates are still out there and the trafficking goes on, so if you know anything at all, then you should not be afraid to speak up. It will help us to catch them."

Anzu was horrified. She knew he was involved in criminal activities, but had no idea he was trafficking vulnerable girls and forcing them into the sex trade. She realised how lucky she was that he only wanted her to work in the club, rather than a woman who could be sold for sex. Being a talented dancer had probably saved her from an even worse fate!

"Oh, geez," she took a shuddering breath. "I didn't know... I don't think... I don't know if the other girls I work with know either." Did they? They certainly never spoke about it. Maybe they were afraid to."

"Are you okay Miss Mazaki?" The younger detective asked. "If you want to take a break..."

"No. I'm okay. I knew he was involved in some dodgy stuff, but I had no idea he was..." Her voice was starting to dry up.

"I'll get you some water," Yugi offered, getting up to go to the sink. As he filled the glass with water, he felt his blood boil. It made him feel sick to the stomach to think that Anzu had fallen into the hands of such a man. He was so angry at himself for letting it happen that he almost crushed the glass in his hand. But if he ended up with glass in his hand it would only make things worse for Anzu, so he forced himself to remain calm.

Walking back over, he handed her the glass with a sad smile.

She could not bring herself to look at him as she took the glass and thanked him. She gulped the water down gratefully.

"There's more," the older detective said. "We've also been investigating complaints from three women, who worked at his club, who claim he drugged them and raped them. We had built up enough evidence to arrest the bastard, but, obviously, his death changes things."

Anzu paled as she remembered that night a couple of weeks back: Tony denied it, but the drink he gave her was definitely spiked. But why? They had been in a relationship and he had been good to her. It was only after she started working in the club and the relationship cooled, that he had drugged and raped her. Maybe it was his way of dominating and controlling her.

Did she want to confess to any of this in front of Yugi? He looked upset enough already, without knowing that his sweet Anzu, who never let guys take advantage of her, had been the willing victim of a sleaze bag.

With a little cry of distress, she put her head in her hands.

"Anzu?" Yugi touched her shoulder gently, "Did he ever do anything to hurt you?"

She shook her head in denial and cleared her throat. "Nah... It was my own stupid fault anyway. I would rather just forget about it. I should never have got involved with him in the first place, but he seemed nice. The only thing he wanted me to do was work in his club. And I only agreed to do that because I couldn't afford my bills and was too fucking stubborn to ask my friends and family for help... How could I be so dumb?"

"You're not dumb Anzu! I just wish..." he trailed off. The way she was speaking gave Yugi the impression that there was more to this than she was letting on. Whatever it was, she was finding it too painful to discuss, and he decided that now was not the time to pressure her, so he let it drop. The best thing he could possibly do now, was get her away from here. "Look. Anzu. I know you don't want to leave New York, but why not come back to Japan with me? We can work things out between us and I can help get you back on your feet. Who knows? Something good might happen."

She gave him a rather defeated look and snorted, "Nothing good seems to happen to me lately," she grumbled bitterly.

"Let me give you some good advice Miss Mazaki," the older detective interjected, handing her a card with a name and phone number on. "It's up to you if you wanna talk to one of our specialist officers; we have a team who've been trained to help victims of men like Tony Moretti. Think about it, and call that number if you do want help. If you don't, then my advice is to do as your friend here suggests, and go home to Japan and get yourself back on your feet. A decent young woman like yourself deserves better than being stuck in a shit-hole like this. Just living in this neighbourhood leaves you at risk of being taken advantage of by low-life's like Tony Moretti."

Anzu pulled her resolve together and nodded weakly. "Thanks. I'll consider it." She turned the little business card over in her hand and then placed it on the table.

As the detectives finished up the interview, Yugi could not help but ponder his own role in all of this:

He could not entirely blame Anzu for getting herself into this mess. Yes, she had been a bit foolish to try and think she could manage without the help of her friends. But it could have been avoided had he made time in his busy schedule to come and see her sooner.

Instead, he sulked when she suggested they cool things off between them, and then dated other women as a way to take his mind off her. He should have guessed she would find out about him and Suki – it was all over the news and social media – and as a result, well, maybe not as a direct result, but more as a contributing factor, she had ended up getting involved with Tony Moretti.

::::::::::::

As soon as the detectives left, Yugi turned to Anzu. She looked exhausted.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this Anzu. I should have come to see you months ago. But I was wallowing in my own self pity because I thought you didn't like me any more." He reached out for her but she turned away and began busying herself with cleaning the kitchen.

She went to the bowl where Yugi's shirt was still soaking and lifted it up to inspect it. "I'm afraid the make-up didn't come out. Maybe the dry-cleaners can get the stain out." Concentrating on the task, she started scrubbing at the shirt as if it had offended her in some way.

He frowned at the sight. "Don't worry about it, it's just a shirt. I'm more concerned about you right now. I feel like I let you down, leaving you to struggle on your own." He was not sure what to do. He moved to take the shirt away from her but changed his mind. She would not look at him and he wished she would stop fixating on that dam shirt.

"Don't blame yourself Yugi. It's not your fault. I seem to recall I was the one who ended things. Then I pushed you away by not answering your calls. I was stupid and stubborn and... I was embarrassed you would find out I was struggling to get by. Then I met Tony and started working at the club, and didn't want anyone, not even my parents..." Her breath hitched and she dumped the shirt back into the soapy water, splashing water over herself. She started to cry.

The invisible chains keeping Yugi from getting close, broke, and he reached for her, pulling her into his arms. He held her gently and let her cry into his chest. She felt like a rag doll, not the feisty, determined girl he knew her to have once been.

He buried his face in her hair and soothed her until she cried herself out, and then he handed her a tissue to dry her face.

She actually managed a little laugh when she saw the tissue was full of snot and tears. "I must look a mess. And I've got snot all over you."

The side of his mouth pulled up into a half grimace, as he pulled the wet material away from his chest and glanced down at the slimy steak. "It's not technically my vest," he shrugged. Giving her a small smile of encouragement, he chuckled. "And snot or no snot, I still think you're still beautiful," he said softly, gently rubbing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Don't fib." She huffed, slapping his arm away. "I'm a mess. How did I end up like this Yugi?" She sagged and looked miserable again. He shrugged lightly.

"It's my fault," He stated assertively. "I shouldn't have reacted so badly at the club, then you wouldn't have run out and Tony would never have come here and been shot."

"No." She shook her head. "I don't mean tonight -that was just the straw that broke the camels back. Before that." She could see he was waiting for her to explain, so she did. "The downhill slide started ages ago. I graduated with so many hopes and dreams, but one by one they all fell away. The friends I shared that nice apartment with, either got jobs elsewhere, or gave up and went home. Only I was stupid, and stubborn, enough to think I could stay and go it alone." She let out a withering sigh. "I have signed up with agencies, applied to the New York Ballet –they placed on their books should anything come up. I've been to several auditions, but they always tell me they want experienced dancers. The only dancing jobs I did get, was a bit part in an advert for sanitary towels, where I had to dance in the background to show how comfortable they were," she let out a bitter laugh, "I wasn't even on my period at the time!"

He grimaced internally at that, but did not interrupt – she was talking and he wanted to let her get it all off her chest.

She continued, "And then I was in a pop video for a song that flopped. The money I got, just about covered a couple of week's worth of groceries."

"What about your job in the cafe?"

She looked at him and pouted. "I enjoy it there, but the wages aren't enough. I asked for more hours, or maybe a pay increase, but they couldn't give me a raise and they have enough staff already, so I was forced to find a cheaper apartment. This place was all I could afford, and I could barely even pay for this! I should have given up then, but I was too stupid and stubborn to admit defeat. I kept my troubles to myself because I didn't want anyone at home to know I was a failure."

"You had a dream and you didn't want to let it go. That's not stupid and stubborn, that's determination," he said, trying to give her some encouragement. "And you should know me well enough to know that I would never think you were a failure. You only had to call me and I would have helped."

"And intrude on you and your pretty little girlfriend?" That sounded way more bitter and jealous than she intended. He looked visibly hurt by it but did not defend himself. All he could think to do was mumble that he was sorry.

"Don't apologise Yugi. I shouldn't have said that. It was spiteful. You had every right to date other girls – it was me that dumped you, remember? I just didn't know I would be so upset when I found out you were in a relationship -with a famous pop star at that! I was absolutely heartbroken when I read she was pregnant! After that, I completely ignored you."

"Turned out the baby wasn't mine anyway," he snorted. "Guys said I had a lucky escape. They were right. I was actually pleased it wasn't mine. That's when I knew I didn't love her – she wasn't you."

"Oh, Yugi..." she sighed. "If I had returned your calls I might have known that." There had been so many misunderstandings. It was painful to ponder over them.

"What I still can't understand, is why? You were always so wary of people like Tony. The girl I used to know would have run a mile. It goes against everything you ever stood for."

She gave a nonchalant shrug. "It's not as simple as that. When I met Tony, he seemed really nice. He was sympathetic and seemed to understand how I felt about not getting my lucky break. He listened to me complaining for ages and then asked me out for a meal. He took me to a nice restaurant and we got on well and he offered me a job. I went to the club full of anticipation, only to find out what kind of dancing it was. I told him to get lost, but he said he really liked me and asked me to be his 'chic'." She emphasised chic and rolled her eyes. "Being called a 'chic' should have been warning enough, but, stupidly, I said yes and became his... chic." The word almost stuck in her throat. "Then my phone broke and he gave me a new one, which I should have rejected but didn't. Then we had a real cold snap and I needed a new coat and boots so he took me shopping. The electricity meter also seemed to eat my tokens –I couldn't afford to buy more tokens, but I didn't dare ask him to pay for my electricity as well! He invited me to watch the girls at the club training for their routines and it didn't seem that bad. They were dressed in leggings and crop tops, and although raunchy, the dancing was actually really exciting to watch. Most of the girls were average dancers, and I found myself thinking that I could do better!" She snorted at this and Yugi looked surprised.

"Anyway," she continued, "they invited me to join in, and I thought 'what the heck!' and jumped on the stage. Everyone was impressed. Afterwards, Tony said I was dancing that night. I declined and was mortified when he hissed in my ear about owing him for the clothing and phone. Part of me wanted to throw the clothes and phone in his face, and another part told me that all I had to do was dance for one night, then it would be alright –I could keep the clothes and buy some tokens for my meter." She looked down at her trembling hands and clenched them into fists.

Past traumas came to mind: Shadi possessing her and using her as bait to bring out the other Yugi. Marik possessing her and using her to get to Yugi. Being placed inside a game piece by Yami Bakura and having to fight for their souls against Zorc. Watching Yugi fight duels of life and death. Nearly being cooked and eaten by Hitotsumi Giants. Seeing her friends have their souls taken by Dartz. Helping to find Atem's name so they could defeat Zorc and save the world. Watching Atem walk through those doors and into the afterlife. None of these things had beaten her. So she sure as hell was not going to let this latest incident beat her down.

"Anyway! You should probably get to work, Yugi. But change out of those fairy pants first," she teased. A look of resolve flashed across her face as she pulled her posture back into its usual composure. "Do you need anything before you leave?"

He checked the time. "I've got an hour or so. I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay."

"I'm absolutely fine Yugi. Go to work. I'm going to catch up on some sleep, and maybe go for a jog in the park later."

He shook his head sadly. It had looked like he was getting somewhere but now it felt like she was pushing him away again. "Do you really want me to go?"

For a moment he looked unsure of himself, and Anzu caught a glimpse of the timid boy he had once been.

"You don't have to stay just because you feel sorry for me Yugi," she mumbled. "I don't need looking after. I'm better on my own." She felt like she had let him down badly, and if pity for her was what was making him stay, then he should probably just go.

"Feel sorry for you! Is that what you think?" He shook his head in despair. "I love you. I want to take care of you. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm not sure it is. I'm not the nice girl you used to know," She said, bitterly. "If you knew some of the things I have done you would be really disappointed in me." Did she want to admit, that on top of dating Tony and the baggage that went with it, she was also using cocaine to get herself through her routine as a stripper? No. Now was not the time.

"I don't care what you've done," he stated, so forcefully that it made her jump. He blushed. "I'm not disappointed, I'm actually proud of you for not giving up; even when everything was going wrong for you. Okay, so you should have asked for help. If not from me then your parents. What about Mai? She came to see you. She has had experience of being used and could have done something to help." She was looking at him, guiltily chewing her lip. "What?" He asked, eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"I saw Mai when she was in New York for fashion week. I told her I was struggling. She saw this place. I didn't tell her I was working in the club and I swore her to secrecy about my dire financial situation. She even tried to give me one hundred dollars, but I refused to accept it." She fixed him with a determined look. "I don't think you're gonna like this, but I still don't think I'm ready to quit and go home," she admitted.

Although he admired her determination, guts and fighting spirit, he was exasperated with her for being too stubborn to accept help when it was offered. "Why not?" He turned away from her, put his hand to his forehead and shook his head in dismay.

"You're annoyed with me, I can tell," she muttered, pathetically.

"I'm not annoyed," he snapped, exasperated. "I just can't understand why you would be so stubborn about this?"

"Please, Yugi? You have to understand. If I let the last few terrible months be my last memory of New York, I might grow to hate my time here. And, apart for the last six to eight months, I haven't hated it –I've I loved it!"

"And what about us? Can there ever be an us if you stay here?" He implored.

"I don't know. There can if we work at it. Now that you've finished your degree, designed your game and have Mai helping in the game store, you can spend time in New York, with me."

Wait?! How did she know Mai was working in the sore? She only started helping out in the store a couple of weeks ago!

"How often do you and Mai talk?" He would not be at all surprised if it was more often than Mai let on.

"I know what you're thinking Yugi. Please don't be angry. I don't know why, but Mai is the only friend I stay in touch with. She tried her best to persuade me to meet you, but I asked her not to give you my address. I haven't told her I was dancing in the club though. She would have been furious with me, and would have given you my address and ordered you to rescue me."

To hide his anger, Yugi scratched at the light dusting of beard growth on his face, and considered the options. Could he find time in his busy schedule to spend more time living in New York? Or should he put his foot down and take her home? Knowing her as well as he did, ordering her home would not work; it would drive an even bigger wedge between them. He could not come to a decision right now.

"I need to get to work," he said, sounding really annoyed with her.

"Yugi?" She called desperately, as he went to the bathroom to wash and do his teeth. He ignored her.

Had her refusal to go home with him upset him that much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh! Some revelations, and an awful lot of tension between Yugi and Anzu.


	8. Rock Bottom.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid our favourite couple are still at loggerheads over Anzu's indecision. It's driving our Yugi to the point where he's actually losing his temper with her.
> 
> No specific warnings for this chapter.

Locking the bathroom door, Yugi stood at the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He saw nothing of the kind selfless man –the man who always strove to understand why people did the things they did, and then forgave them, offering them another chance to prove themselves. In fact, the man glaring back at him, looked bitter, furious and exhausted.

He had tried so hard to get through to Anzu, yet she appeared to have woven a hard shell around herself that refused to crack, and he did not know what else he could do to prove to her that he loved her so much he would do anything for her –anything.

Or rather, almost anything...

There was one thing he was not prepared to do, and that was to up-root himself from his home in Domino, and move here. It just was not feasible, or sensible, to do so. Not only did his grandfather need him to help run the game shop, he also had a lucrative contract with Kaiba Corporation, which he could not afford to throw away.

If he did, it would mean losing most of his income, and the whole idea of him moving here to support her would be pointless, because they would both be poor. And he would have to get a visa, and then apply for a work permit so that he could find a job. All that could take months -if they even accepted his application- and he would use up all his savings in the meantime.

The only way he would be able to earn any money, would be to milk his fame as a duelist, and duel for easy money, on the pro-circuit; they would love the publicity –and the big money that the King of Games would help generate. But Yugi detested the pro-circuit and would be utterly miserable if he had to duel among con-artists, fraudsters and cheats.

Sighing heavily, he squirted toothpaste onto the toothbrush he had used last night, and cleaned his teeth. He was going to make do with a quick wash in the sink, but after splashing some water under his armpits and deciding he smelled, took a quick shower.

He found a clean towel on the shelf and dried himself off. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he made sure the top was tucked in, so that it wouldn't fall off and give her a thrill –now there was an idea! Rolling his eyes at himself, he smiled sardonically and shook off all thoughts of flashing her, before exiting the bathroom and heading to the bedroom to get dressed.

Anzu was sitting at the dining table with a mug of coffee as he walked past. She tried not to look, but could not help herself. His wet hair was dripping water onto his shoulders, and it was running in little rivulets down his chest and back. The thought of what was underneath the towel brought back memories of a wonderful weekend they once spent at the Onsen in the hills just outside Domino, making her quiver inside. How could she be so stupid as to let this wonderful man go?

"You can use my hair-dryer if you want to," she said, trying to not sound as flustered as she was feeling

"Thanks," he muttered tersely, not noticing her appreciative reaction to him. "I hope I didn't use up all your hot water. I'll give you some money for the meter."

His brusqueness caused the feelings she was experiencing towards him to evaporate instantly. "No need," she replied coldly, frowning at the way he barely even cast a glance in her direction, as he went into the bedroom, slamming the door.

Taking his wallet from the back pocket of his trousers, he pulled out fifty dollars. He doubted she would be very happy with him for leaving money, but he placed the notes on her dresser anyway.

When he slammed the door, Anzu flinched. If Yugi was so angry that he was slamming doors and glaring daggers at her, then she knew he was seriously upset with her. But if he was doing it to try and intimidate her, it was not working, all it was doing was making her angry too.

But then it occurred to her that he was not the one who had made all the mistakes that had lead them into this situation. Most of this was her fault.

And now she had a big decision to make: Stay here, keep fighting for her dreams, and risk losing him for ever. Or go home with him, reassess her life's goals and start again. If she really loved him as much as she thought she did, then it should be an easy decision. So why was it so hard?

Part of her still believed that she could claw her way out this pit she had dug for herself, and find success on Broadway. But the pit was deep, and, just recently, she had been sinking in deeper. And the gangs, the winos, the druggies and the whores, were all proof that there was still a way to go before she reached the bottom. How far was she prepared to risk sinking? The idea of ending up a drug addicted prostitute made her shudder; it would never happen to her, surely not. Besides, she only ever used cocaine to get through a show -that wasn't going to make her an addict, was it? But then... it was not that long ago she vowed never to use drugs, and now...

Anyway, thar part of her life was over; there was no way she could go back to the club, even if it did stay open now that its owner was dead. But unless she could find a another job, to top-up her income, she might be forced to take another demeaning job, and then she would never be able to swim back to the surface and escape her pit.

Her only chance of salvation was Yugi. She could not accept his money though. Not while they were like this. She wanted the man, not his money.

She heard the hair-dryer switch on.

Her mind was made up.

She trotted into the bedroom. He was dressed in just his trousers, holding the hair-dryer up with his head tipped forward, dragging his fingers through his thick mane of hair, to try and make it stand up in it spike up – she quite liked the slightly shorter style on him.

She was then drawn to the way the finely defined muscles in his back and shoulders rippled in a pleasing way.

Realising she was in the room, he stood up straight and turned to look at her, with a stony glare that made her so nervous that she cringed.

"I'm sorry Yugi."

Ignoring her, he turned away from her again, put the hair-dryer down and ruffled his hair with his fingers; without gel it had gone all fluffy (thanks to her shampoo) and would not spike up properly, which irritated him further.

"Yugi?" She tried again.

Trying not to growl, he turned and looked at her sternly. "I don't understand you any more Anzu. Maybe I never did understand you!" He said in frustration, "I just don't get why you would want to stay in a city that clearly doesn't like you. You have a man here," -he said sincerely, placing his hand over his heart, "-who loves you and would do anything for you. Yet you would prefer to stay here, in this dangerous place, waiting for some low life creep to take advantage of you again. Well, I'm done with it Anzu. If you won't come home with me, then... I will pay your rent for you, but we're through." He worried that he was being spiteful, and was making a big mistake, but right now he was making a stand; this was his final ultimatum.

Was he bluffing? She opened her mouth to say she hadn't decided for definite that she was staying here, but her jaw just flapped and all that came out was a croaky. "But.. I.." -oh, the look on his face... Yugi was not one to bluff. He met his challenges head on and would not back down. He was being deadly serious.

She felt as if her heart would shatter in her chest. She had pushed him too far. She could not lose him for ever; she loved him too much.

He grabbed his muscle shirt and pulled it on aggressively, and then reached for his socks.

"But Yugi, I.." She hesitated when he looked up at her. They way he was glaring at her was unsettling and she stuttered, "It..It's hard to abandon my dreams and walk away from something I've been working so hard for..." she squeaked. He did not look convinced and she could feel herself shrinking. "I want to say yes, but... I.. feel like a failure," she finished, feebly.

"I get that." He nodded his understanding. "But I won't take back what I said Anzu. I'm going to work now, so I suggest you spend the day making up your mind. It's up to you to make the next move. " He grabbed his jacket and marched past her, barely casting her a glance.

"What time do you finish work?" She blurted, following after him.

He stopped at the front door and turned to her. "By six I should think. If you would like to meet me at my hotel for dinner, be there by seven, and we can talk – I will have calmed down by then. Have you got a pen and paper?" Nodding, she hastily grabbed a note pad for him. "This is where I'm staying. I'll put my room number too. If I'm not back by six thirty, wait in the lounge area. Dinner is at seven. I will expect a definitive answer from you as to what you want to do. If you decide to stay here, I can't promise that I won't tell your parents about the mess you're in." One side of his face twisted into a pained expression, as he noted her mortified reaction to his threat to tell her parents. She looked like she might shatter.

Anzu was completely taken aback by his stance. She had rarely seen him behave in such a cold, abrupt manner. She knew he had it in him to be firm when needed, but it was almost as if working with Seto Kaiba had caused some of the CEO's attitude to rub off on him.

"Don't tell them Yugi. Please?" She pleaded desperately.

"Then you must tell them yourself," he stated firmly. "I'll see you later. "You need to think very carefully about what you do next. Okay?" He leaned in and kissed her cheek, for which she was grateful.

But then it occurred to her that it had not been a very affectionate kiss. There was almost a finality to it and it shook her to the core.

::::::::::::

Out on the street, Yugi took a deep breath to compose himself. It felt as if the cold, stale air would choke him. He looked at his hands and they were shaking.

In the doorway next to Anzu's apartment block, a grubby, worn looking man, sat wrapped in a dirty blanket, a black woolly hat pulled down over his ears to keep out the cold. Finger-less gloves, revealing filthy fingers and nails clung to the edges of the fabric, clutching it tightly should someone try to steal it. For Yugi it was a harrowing sight; one that revealed the huge disparity between the rich people of this City, and the desperately poor.

The man looked up at him and asked if he had a cigarette. The man looked old, but could not have been much more than mid thirties. What had happened in his life that had resulted in him ending up in a disused shop doorway, destitute, probably an alcoholic or drug addict? Yugi shook his head.

"Sorry. I don't smoke." He thought about giving the man some money, but realised the guy would probably only buy drugs or alcohol with it. He spotted a small convenience store on the corner. "I can get you some food if you like?" The man coughed in response and smiled at him, revealing bad teeth.

"Thanks dude." He said, welcoming such kindness, he added cheekily, "A bottle of whiskey would be welcome too."

Yugi thought about not getting him the whiskey, but bought it anyway –it was probably the only thing that numbed the pain of his miserable life. He also bought him a coffee from the machine inside the store and a pre-packed bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.

The man was grateful, and it made Yugi feel a little better for making at least one person's day a bit happier.

Stepping out onto the main road, Yugi was amazed that one run down little side street was so well hidden behind this bustling, average looking New York avenue.

He suddenly realised he had absolutely no idea where he was or how to get to the convention centre.

Luckily, a Taxi went by and he was able to hail it. The driver pulled over for him to get in and asked him where he wanted to go. Yugi told him his destination and the driver nodded, before taking a swig of his cola and pulling back out into the steady stream of traffic.

The journey took longer than Yugi hoped, mostly due to traffic, and it was nearly eleven thirty by the time by the time he got to the convention centre.

Steeling himself for some awkward, unwelcome questions about last night, he entered the building and made his way to the Industrial Illusions/Kaiba Corp. trade stand.

Most of his colleagues empathised and cut him some slack. Unfortunately, there is always one person who does not seem capable of exercising some decorum, and as feared, one of the technicians, Yugi knew as Martin, clamped him on the back and asked, "Who was the hot little stripper you left with, buddy?" Yugi had barely even spoken to this man before now and hardly knew him, yet the guy was treating Yugi like they were best buds!

Yugi grit his teeth and answered calmly, "Anzu is an old friend from school. I haven't seen her in ages."

"Did you get lucky?"Bet she was a real mover" -the man made a crude, thrusting gesture with his hips- "know what I mean?"

Yugi was used to Jonouchi being crude, and sometimes tactless, but this man really took the piss. Yugi gave him a sardonic smile. "As I just said; she's a friend." He hoped the guy would get the message, but he did not.

"Aw, come on man, ya gotta give us more than that! It was quite a show you put on when you jumped the stage and got thrown out."

Yugi clenched his fists as his sides, and focused his mind away from this inconsiderate fool.

Luckily, the guy's workmate, Dave, shoved him aside and told him, "Lay off dude. Can't you see he's had a rough night and is not in the mood to deal with a jerk like you!"

Tactless Martin grumbled a bit about only having a bit of fun, to brighten up an otherwise long, boring day. But it was at the expense of Yugi, and Yugi did not think that Martin understood, that while it might be fun for him, it was no fun for Yugi.

"Ignore Martin. He thinks he's a comedian, but he's just a jackass," Caroline said, offering Yugi a mug of hot coffee. "I didn't put any sugar in."

Thanking her, Yugi accepted the coffee and cheered up a bit. "How'd you guess I don't take sugar?" He said, winking.

Caroline gave him a sympathetic smile, and asked, "What about you? You looked tired. Are you sure you're okay to work today, Yugi?"

"Yeah... I would rather be here," he nodded. "Takes my mind off things."

"I take it that you know the young woman from last night quite well?" She hoped she was not being too intrusive –it looked like a delicate subject. "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to."

"No. It's okay." He gave her a weak smile. "Anzu used to be my girlfriend – she's the girl I told you about yesterday. We were dating seriously until she came here, and then we kind of drifted apart. Now I'm not sure I know her at all any more," he said, bitterly.

"You don't have to deal with the customers today. We can tell them the system is down, or something."

"Nah, I'm fine. I enjoy doing the demos." He went to take his jacket off and remembered that all he had on underneath was his muscle shirt. "Erm... My shirt got a bit ruined," he mumbled. "I didn't have time to go back to the hotel and change." He pulled off his jacket to show her. "It's not really suitable," he grimaced. His muscle shirt was old, but he loved to wear it underneath his button-up shirts in the cooler weather, because it reminded him of Atem.

Caroline laughed, and then had a light-bulb moment. "Come with me..." she grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to the girl selling event tee-shirts. "You haven't got a small men's going spare, have you?"

"Yeah, why? Oh.." She blushed when Yugi took his jacket off and she saw the tight, black –but old and faded– muscle shirt he was wearing. She coughed. "I won't ask what happened to your over-shirt," she said, not wishing to pry. She had not been there last night, but had heard the guys talking about it this morning. "Here. Try this one." She handed him a polythene bag containing a navy blue short sleeved tee-shirt. Yugi pulled it out of its wrapping and tried it on. Luckily, it covered most of the bruise on his upper arm.

"Thanks. It's a good fit," he said. Although he was not too enamoured with the Funny Bunny logo on the front, he was too polite to say anything. And the shirt was good quality. It would have to do.

"I saw that bruise on your arm Yugi. Did you get that from the bouncers? It looks nasty. You know you can probably sue," Caroline told him.

"Thanks. But I'd rather just forget it happened," he huffed, sitting down at his computer to boot it up.

No one pestered him further, and he was left to just play games and do the demonstrations when potential customers came by.

However, he did hear Martin and his colleague, Dave, making a few lewd comments about how she must have kept him at it all night for him to turn up late, looking wrecked and without his shirt. It made his blood boil to hear them say they wouldn't mind a go with her themselves. Martin egged Dave on to ask Yugi for her number, but when Yugi glared daggers at them they got the message and shut-up. They got on with their work and avoided him after that.

The rest of the afternoon was slow, and he was glad when the day came to an end.

::::::::::::

After Yugi had left her, Anzu dragged herself into the bathroom. His words had left her shaken. She felt like a rag doll, that had once been loved, but had now been discarded into a corner and left there to be eaten by moths.

She looked at her sad face in the mirror. When did she lose sight of who she once was?

She gazed at the back of her hand. The smiley face she had drawn there had long faded, along with all her hopes and dreams.

But if she thought she had lost sight of everything that was valuable to her already, she was wrong, there was more; she was now about to lose the one person who always had more faith in her than anyone else – Yugi. If he gave up on her, then she truly was a useless, lost cause.

Dancing was pointless if she had no one to appreciate her. He once said that if he was the Duel King, then she was his Dancing Queen. Some Queen she was –more like a Dancing Fool, because the only thing she was really any good at was making stupid decisions. Losing Yugi would be the biggest stupid decision yet.

She let out an anguished groan.

She was tired of trying, and even more tired of failing.

She brushed her teeth and decided to head out to the nearest park for a run, in the hope it would clear her head and help her pull herself together.

Pulling on her running gear, she laced up her Nike's and went outside into the cool, damp air. She ran and ran until she hit five miles, and then stopped by a memorial in the centre of the park. It felt much nicer in the park, away from all the traffic pollution.

Her face was hot and her heart was pumping hard in her chest, but her head was clearer now and her mind was made up.

Tonight, she would give Yugi her decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will her decision be? And will it be the decision Yugi is hoping for?  
> Find out next week, in the next gripping chapter of Something Worth Fighting For.  
> Until then, have a good week and stay safe, oh! And don't forget to give kudos or a review. Thank you:-)


	9. Make or Break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are still very awkward for our favourite couple, but will an evening together, at a fine dining restaurant, help heal their differences?  
> A reminder: Sadly, I do not own any of the rights to Yugioh! But I am happy to be able to write lovely fan fiction, where romance triumphs over dueling.

Grabbing his coat, Yugi left the venue. Throughout the afternoon he had controlled his anxiety by focusing his attention on playing the games he was supposed to be demonstrating to potential customers.

But now, as he made his way to the subway station, his anxiety began to increase. He and Anzu had squabbled over silly things when they were kids, but he had never spoken to her so harshly, and with so much force, as he had this morning. After seeing a man she knew (whatever her relationship with Tony was, he did not wish to imagine) killed, she was already in a fragile enough state, and did not need Yugi putting pressure on her to make up her mind by tonight. Perhaps he should back-off a bit.

No. Given her dire circumstances, it had been necessary for him to show some metal as a man, and take control. It was also the only way he could think of getting her to show him the respect that he thought he deserved.

Not that she didn't respect him –she did, he was sure. It was just that she was so used to his kind, easy going nature, that, whether or not she realised it, she often had a tendency to take him for granted, and assert her own, slightly more bossy personality over his easy going one. Well, not this time; this time he was the one showing her who was boss.

The Subway was busier at this time of day. But it was nothing he was not used to in the crowded city centre of Domino.

Squeezing onto the subway train, he had to stand –the seats were all taken– and reach up to grasp the hand rail on the ceiling of the compartment. It was at times like this he cursed not being taller, especially when squashed up against a tall, rotund man with sweaty armpits, that were way to close to his face for his liking.

He ended up getting off a stop early; he would rather walk the rest of the way in the rain than endure someone's sweaty pits.

Looking rather bedraggled, he got back to the hotel at six twenty five. Heart beating fast, he checked the lounge and then the bar. There was no sign of Anzu yet and his heart sunk.

Maybe he was worrying prematurely; he had told her seven –plenty of time for her to get here.

He went to the reception desk. "Excuse me?" He asked politely.

The rather elegant, middle aged woman receptionist, looked up at him. Her expression changed to one of mild relief at the sight of him. "Ah! Mister Muto. Good to see you have returned. Will you be dining here this evening?"

Yugi wondered at her reaction; did she think something terrible had happened to him?

"Yes. Yes, I will be. Sorry I didn't come back last night." Why did he need to justify himself? "I was staying with a friend. In fact, I have invited her to dine with me tonight. If that's okay?" He felt himself blushing at what that might imply.

However, the receptionist maintained her professional indifference towards him staying out all night with a female friend, and smiled blandly. "Of course, Sir. What time would you like to eat?"

"Erm.." He checked his watch. The time was ticking. "I know I'm down to eat at seven each evening, but can we make it seven fifteen tonight?"

She tapped her screen thoughtfully, and changed his normal dining time. "All done for you." She looked up at him. "Will there be any extras?"

"Any what?" Yugi asked, confused.

"Champagne on the table. Flowers. That sort of thing."

"Oh!" He was blushing again. "Erm... No. It's okay. Anzu is an old friend of mine," he said, knowing that Anzu would probably think flowers a bit tacky. And they could always order champagne when she arrived, if they wanted. "But there is one thing you can do. If she comes in and asks for me, can you tell her I'm upstairs getting ready. She can come up to my room if she wants."

"Will do. Anything else?"

"No. I don't think so. Thank you." He bowed his head slightly, in customary Japanese gratitude, and moved away from the desk so that the receptionist could deal with the guest waiting behind him.

Dampness was seeping through his clothing and into his bones, making him feel chilled, and also pretty jaded. He could do with a nap but there was no time; he would have to make do with a shave, a quick shower and a change of clothes, in the hope that that would liven him up a bit.

Pressing the lift call button, he waited for it to arrive. Why did lifts always take so long when you're in a hurry? Impatient, he jabbed at the call button again, not once, but three times.

He watched the display above the doors, as the elevator, on its way down, stopped on one of the floors. It then moved down two more floors, stopping again. When it stopped a third time, he cursed under his breath; it would have been quicker to run the seventeen floors up the stairs!

At last, the elevator dinged to a halt and the doors slid open. He waited, tapping his foot impatiently, while the people in the lift got out. At last... he sighed through clenched teeth, when finally, he was inside the elevator. However, he nearly exploded in a fit of pique (but somehow held his temper in check) when the lift attendant held the door open for some more guests to get in.

Eventually, after three stops en-route, he reached his floor.

Hurriedly swiping his key-card he barrelled into his room and began throwing off his clothes.

He brushed his teeth, shaved, and then showered with the bathroom door open, so that if Anzu did arrive, he would hear her knocking.

Finishing his shower, he turned off the water, and listened carefully. Still no indication that she was outside.

He dried himself off, moisturised his face with aftershave balm, and then sprayed himself with a manly body spray, that claimed on the tin to drive women wild. Hopefully it would have the desired effect on Anzu.

But what if she wasn't coming?

Anzu was always punctual, or slightly early, but it was now six fifty and there was no sign of her.

Maybe she was waiting in the lounge-bar, like he originally said.

But she would message to say she was here, wouldn't she? Unless she was too upset after what he said to her this morning, and had stood him up...

Feeling a shudder of dread running up his spine, he ran to his discarded jacket and grabbed his phone from the inside pocket. Shit! It had not been charged since yesterday morning and the battery was now dead. Stupid! Stupid! Why did he not think to put it on charge at work today?

"Crap!" He yelled, running to his bedside table to plug it in. No time to wait for it to gain enough charge for him to turn the damned thing on. No time to waste deciding what to wear, either.

Grabbing clean boxers, he stumbled into them in such a hurry that he put them on back to front. He took a deep breath and told himself to cam down.

With his boxers on correctly, he grabbed a pair of dark grey trousers and a pale lilac button up shirt.

Trying to dress quickly, but without rushing, he fastened the buttons on his shirt and tucked the shirt into his trousers, arranging himself, and flattening down the she shirt, before zipping up his trousers, sliding his belt through the loops and fastening the clasp.

He checked his look in the mirror. At least he had managed to get his hair reasonably dry in the short amount of time, and it was a lot less fluffy than it was after using Anzu's shampoo this morning.

A thought occurred to him: Anzu had not said anything about his hair being slightly shorter that it used to be. She must have noticed –she always noticed things like that. Was she not interested in his appearance? She always used to be! If she had asked, he would have happily explained that he was twenty four now, and needed to look a bit more like a businessman than a punk-kid, hence the neater style.

He was thinking too much.

Pulling on his socks and smart black shoes, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and headed back down to the reception area, using the stairs this time.

His heart was pounding as he pushed the door open –and it was not just from running down seventeen flights of stairs. He was actually feeling more nervous than he did when he stepped out into a huge duel stadium full of adoring fans, all chanting his name.

The nerves he had before a duel, were super-charged with the excitement of the battle to come, and the incredible adrenaline rush of giving the crowd a good show, while convincingly beating his opponent.

This felt more like walking to the gallows. He was trying desperately hard not to break out in a sweat that would ruin the shirt he was wearing.

He looked around for her. There was no sign of her in the bar and his heart sunk.

::::::::::::

Back from her run, Anzu grabbed a can of Lemon Fanta from the fridge and popped the tab. She gulped it straight down from the can and it made her burp. Her nose tingled from the fizz and she had an attack of belching and hiccups; she always preferred water post run, so what on earth had possessed her to choose a fizzy drink instead?

Shaking her head, she started doing some stretches. Her mind was in turmoil again.

She loved Yugi, truly she did. But the idea of ending up like her mother frightened her. Her mother joined a pop band while in school, and held aspirations to be a professional rock singer; she even dyed her hair pink, such as the rebel she was. But her mother came from a very traditional, conservative family, and her parents squashed her ambitions, fearing their daughter's lifestyle in a rock band would bring shame to their family. They knew what was best for their daughter and chose several potential husbands; Anzu's father being one of the lucky young prospects. They were married at twenty one, and by the time she was twenty two she pregnant with Anzu's older brother. Three years later, Anzu was born.

Her mother's dreams had long been abandoned to a more stereotypical role in life; to support her hard-working husband, keep their home clean and look after the children. These days, her mother sang in a local choir as a hobby, while working as a receptionist at Anzu's father's dental practice. Anzu's brother had also become a dentist, like father, and had joined the family practice with the intention of one day taking over.

Anzu was not the least bit interested in sticking her fingers in people's ghastly mouths, and was determined to follow her own path. Luckily, her parents were not traditional like their own parents had been, and willingly supported Anzu's dreams of dancing professionally. If Anzu went home now, it would be an admission of failure and the end of her dream; she would probably end up just like her mother; married, pregnant and helping Yugi in the game store.

That would not be so terrible in the future, but not now; not until she had at least done everything she possibly could to justify the enormous amount of money her parents had paid for her to come to New York for her education.

If she could just get Yugi to understand that, then he might see why this was so important to her, and not put so much pressure on her to go home.

Rinsing out the empty drink can, she put it on the drainer, ready to go in the recycling bin –Anzu was always conscious to recycle what she could.

She went into the bathroom and took off her sweaty running gear, and was about to throw her clothes into the linen bin when she spotted the fairy lounge pants that Yugi had worn last night, thrown on the floor next to the linen basket.

She picked them up, and rather than put them in the linen basket, placed them on the towel rail to keep warm. She then took a long, hot shower.

Drying herself, she wondered how to explain how she felt to Yugi. It was so easy in her mind, but saying it aloud was a different matter; if she was not careful, she might end up sounding like brat, who was only interested in what she wanted to do, and not prepared to compromise. Compromise: that was what they both needed to do, wasn't it?

It was not just her wanting to stay and pursue her dreams and ambitions, however far from reach they may be; Yugi was being stubborn too. He was so concerned about her living in a rough area and working as a stripper, that he did not trust her judgement and was putting pressure on her to go home.

Stay here and it was all over between them. Or go home and... become an obedient little housewife.

How would that work out? What if the spectre of her occupation as a stripper loomed over their relationship, like a dark storm cloud waiting to burst?

Snatching up her body lotion, she tried to push the negative thoughts aside. There was no denying her shame, her guilt and humiliation. The look on Yugi's face when their eyes had met, moments before the bouncers dragged him away, had been a mixture of utter dismay, sorrow, regret, disappointment and anger.

He was always so forgiving; no doubt he would try and forgive this time.

However, Anzu did not know if she was as capable as he was when it came to forgiveness. She feared she would try too hard to make it up to him. She would do what she always did and pretend nothing was wrong, when in fact, she would always see that devastated look on his face. Whenever she looked into his eyes, she would remember the utter humiliation and self loathing she had felt in those moments. It would build up inside her, and then she might take out her anguish on him. Could she live with that?

She finished rubbing lotion onto her skin, and then picked up the fairy lounge pants Yugi had worn.

She closed her eyes, held them to her face and tried to pick up his scent. Yes, it was there, the masculine scent she typically associated with Yugi.

Even though she considered it a bit weird to wear something he had worn, she pulled them on over her naked lower body anyway; it was too tempting to resist, and the knowledge of them having touched his body made her quiver inside. It brought a nice feeling to her lower regions, that almost made her feel ashamed and embarrassed – good job she was on her own.

Finding an old baggy tee-shirt, she put it on, and then decided to rest.

Laying down on the bed, she put in her ear buds, and selected some music on her well loved I-pod. She listened to the first track, but after that the rest just faded away as tiredness overtook her.

She woke up at five fifty, feeling all pasty and disorientated. The earbuds had fallen out and were tangled around her.

Rummaging about to untangle them, she suddenly noticed the time. "Shit!" She was going to be late for dinner with Yugi. Moving too fast, her vision filled with stars.

After taking a moment to re-orientate herself, she glanced at the bedside table and spotted the money Yugi had left poking out from under her bedside lamp.

Naughty Yugi. She would make him take it back.

Tutting at his generosity, she made her way to the bathroom and squinted at the mirror. Doh! What was going on with her hair? A clump was sticking out where she had fallen asleep on it, and looked like she had grown a long ear.

She wet her hand and tried to stick it down, but it refused to behave.

A swift, cold shower would wake her up properly, and hopefully get the stupid tuft of hair on the side of her head.

The cold shower certainly did the trick, and after brushing her teeth, she was ready to get dressed.

She abandoned blow-drying her hair –it was taking too long. Instead, she ruffled it a little and then let it fall over her shoulders into a natural style.

What to wear? The hotel was probably full of business people, and the dress code was probably smart.

Used to quick costume changes, she hastily donned a pair of lacy black undies and matching bra, a black silk blouse, with short, lacy sleeves, and a dark burgundy skirt, that ended just above the knee and a matching blazer, that nipped in at the waist, showing off her trim figure. She slipped on a pair of sheer stockings and checked there were no creases in her outfit.

Make-up! She needed to do her make-up!

Remembering Yugi was not a fan of tons of make-up, she finished her look with a touch of mascara, some blusher and pale pink lip gloss.

Now, what to take? She was working the early shift at the cafe tomorrow and would need to take her uniform, just in case she ended up staying with Yugi. Not that she had plans to, but you never know...

Grabbing a small holdall, she placed her uniform on the bottom, added a change of underwear, some socks, flat work shoes, nightdress, toiletries, toothbrush, keys, purse and phone, and she was ready to go.

Better take a waterproof overcoat, it was raining outside.

Had she got everything she needed? Oh! The money Yugi left.

Running back into the bedroom, she grabbed it and put it in her purse, and then put the purse back in her holdall.

No more flapping about, it was already twenty past six, and would take around thirty minutes to get to the hotel where Yugi was staying. Slipping on a pair of black dress shoes, with a heel that was not so high that she would be taller than Yugi, she left her flat and locked the door behind her.

Her eyes were drawn to a small, jagged hole in the wall next to her door where the bullet had passed right through Tony and buried itself there. The forensic team had dug it out, and cleaned up the blood on the floor, but the images of last night were still vivid in her mind, causing her to shudder. Would she be able to forget? Or would the horror of last night haunt her every time she looked at it?

She shivered again and went down to the entrance lobby. The landlord's door was open, so she scurried past as quickly as she could, and managed to avoid being accosted by him.

Outside, it was cold and damp. A cab might be a better option, rather than the hustle and bustle of the subway.

Could she justify the cost of a taxi? She had the money Yugi left her, so she could easily afford it. She had planned to make him take the money back, but the idea of a warm, comfortable taxi...

The taxi won.

::::::::::::

Yugi looked at his watch again. It was one minute past seven. Since Anzu was not waiting in reception or the lounge area, he looked in the bar. His heart was breaking. A lump made it's way into his throat, threatening to choke him. After his ultimatum this morning, he was beginning to think he really had upset her so much that she had decided not to come. Perhaps his phone was charged enough that he could go back up to to his suite and check to see if she had messaged or called.

Feeling rejected, he turned around and trudged back towards the elevators. He no longer had any appetite for dinner.

"Ah! Mister Muto?" The receptionist intercepted him, having spotted him from the desk. "A young woman arrived about ten minutes ago. I tried ringing your room to tell you she was here, but you must have already been on your way down. She went to the ladies powder room and said to let you know she's here."

Yugi's face lit up, and he almost let out a massive celebratory whoop. Anzu had not bailed on him after all!

Thanking the receptionist, he bowed, and waited for Anzu to return.

He did not have to wait long. Grinning, he held up a hand in greeting.

With a nervous wave, she came over. "Hi, Yugi! Sorry I'm late. I fell asleep and ended up having to rush," she flushed a cute shade of pink. "Am I late? I must be late." She started fumbling in her purse for her phone, to check the time.

"Hey! It's okay. You're here. That's all that matters." Knowing he was grinning like an idiot, he looked her up and down. "You look really nice," he said appreciatively. "I've never seen you wear a skirt suit before. It makes you look super important."

"Thank you," she said coyly. "You scrub up pretty well too, Yugi." She nudged him playfully, making him blush. She giggled, "You would think we would have grown out of getting embarrassed by now, wouldn't you?"

He shot her a cheeky grin. "Who said I'm embarrassed?"

She rolled her eyes.

Offering her his arm, he took her into the lounge, where they found a small round table, with two high backed leather chairs situated at a nice angle to one another, so that it would be cosy, without seeming too intimate, near the inglenook fireplace.

They sat down in the comfortable leather chairs.

"This is nice," she said, looking around the room. "The fireplace reminds me of one of an English stately home."

"It's not unlike Kaiba's mansion," he added.

After a second or two of awkward silence, Yugi spoke again, "I thought you weren't coming," he said, adding, "I said some pretty harsh things this morning. I'm sorry."

Anzu meanwhile, was distracting herself by fiddling with with the signet ring her parents gave her for her twentieth birthday. "Don't apologise Yugi. You just said a few home truths that I needed to hear. I was upset at the time, but I'm fine now." Was she really fine?

"Does that mean you've made up your mind?" He asked.

There it was –the question she had been dreading. Still unable to give him a definitive answer, she was forced to look away from his gaze. "I honestly don't know what I'm going to do..." She mumbled, concentrating on the flickering flames, dancing in the fireplace. It was only then that she realised it was a gas fire, not a real log fire.

Gathering herself, she looked away from the flames and back at his face. He looked confused, and a little worried. She needed to be honest with him. "I want us to be together, Yugi. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to go home and settle down just yet.. My dreams, they..." she trailed off. "I'm sorry I can't be more.. what's the word?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me?" He sounded a bit exasperated, and she felt herself shrinking away. But she had to get her feelings through to him somehow.

"I'm not in a good place right now, Yugi, and I don't know if I can be the girl you used to know and love –I'm too broken." She looked like she wanted to flee, so he reached out and took her hand.

"Hey! It's alright. Don't get upset. I want us both to enjoy the evening."

But he had a slightly sad, defeated smile on his face, and Anzu knew it was anything but alright.

"I'm sorry Yugi. I'm making a pigs ear of explaining myself." She pulled her hand away and started playing with her ring again. "I just feel so conflicted."

He smiled, but it was a sad, almost defeated smile. But he still spoke with clarity. "Well. I'm not sure I fully understand what's going on in your head right now. But if you need more time to decide, take your time. I only have one more full day before I fly home." There was an element of sarcasm in his voice, which she ignored.

After a moment or two, he spoke again, this time with less sarcasm and more empathy, "If you want, I can change my flight so that I can stay for a few more days. Maybe if we spend more time getting to know each other again, it will help you decide."

"Maybe. It's up to you," she shrugged, non committal evident in her voice.

"No. It's up to you," he said firmly. She pouted at him.

"I'm being difficult, aren't I?" When he nodded, agreeing that she was, she slapped his knee gently.

"It certainly seems that way from where I'm sitting, he replied. "So, here's my final offer: I'm willing to back-off, for now, providing you promise to smile, relax, enjoy the evening and let me spoil you. What do you say?" He was pretty sure, that by the time the night was out, he will have convinced her to go back to Japan with him anyway.

His suggestion sounded reasonable. It would be nice to put her anxieties and concerns aside for a while, and just enjoy being together again –it might even be like old times. "Okay!" She agreed. No talk of me going back to Japan for the rest of the evening, and I will be happy." The smile on her face was one of relief. The tension seemed to drain away from her, and for the first time since the terrible moment he confronted her in the club, she felt relaxed in his company.

Upon seeing the nice smile on her face, he beamed happily. "I'll tell the restaurant were here. Would you like a drink?"

"Yes. Thank you." While Yugi went to the bar to speak to the Maitre' d', Anzu gazed around the room, taking in the oak panelled walls and rich dark blue carpet. It was very cosy in here. All that was missing was a Blue Eyes White Dragon statue, then it would be like the Kaiba mansion.

Yugi returned and sat back down. "A waiter will come and take our drinks order in a minute," he told her, "They said we can go through to the restaurant whenever we like. No hurry."

"I like it here," she said, "It's cosy and we can talk without people listening."

He chuckled, "I don't think anyone here understands Japanese anyway."

The waiter came over and handed them each a restaurant menu for them to peruse, and then he took their drinks order: Yugi asked for a Scotch Malt Whiskey, with plenty of ice, while Anzu ordered a Gin and Tonic, with ice and a slice of lemon.

After the waiter left, Anzu raised an amused eyebrow at Yugi. "I never imagined you drinking whiskey, Yugi!"

"Neither did I," he huffed lightly. "You can blame Kaiba for introducing me. He is a connoisseur of fine malts."

An image of Kaiba and Yugi sitting in Kaiba's drawing room sprang to Anzu's mind; the two men nursing lead crystal glasses full of the finest malt whiskey, as they discussed projected sales targets for Yugi's game.

She gave a mildly amused snort, as she shook away the bizarre image –like that would ever happen! But they must be at least be getting on well enough if they were able to cooperate on producing Yugi's ambitious game together –a game which would not have been easy to make without the help of Kaiba's advanced technology.

Eager to see what sort of food they served, she picked up her restaurant menu. Yugi followed suit. So far, Yugi had only eaten off the all inclusive menu for guests who were staying at the hotel. He was looking forward to trying the wider menu. It was fairly expensive, so must be good.

Anzu's eyes went wide with horror. It was hideously expensive! Way out of her price range. "Yugi! I can't afford these prices!" Her voice going up an octave. He looked up at her from his own menu.

"You don't have to," he smiled reassuringly. "I'm paying. And don't look at the prices, just order what you would like."

"Yugi!" She whined. "I don't deserve spoiling like this. I can't..." She trailed off. She did not wish to appear ungrateful. Yugi was too good for her. Maybe it would be best if she left.

But before she could make her excuses and leave, he reached over and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. He had no idea how close she was to running away right now.

"You deserve spoiling way more," he said, disarming her with his soothing voice. If that alone was not enough to totally defeat her, he was also seducing her with his eyes. They way they sparkled in the warm glow from the fireplace, made them resemble freshly cut Amethysts, that were flickering with hints of Amber and Gold. She could drown in those eyes all night.

She let out a little whine, that almost ended up sounding like an appreciative sigh of contentment. Oh... there should be a law against those seductive eyes. Compose yourself Anzu..

She cleared her throat, and spoke very deliberately, "At least let me pay something towards it?"

He shook his head resolutely. "Absolutely, no way. No matter how things turn out between us tonight, this is still my treat."

Anzu pouted. Clever Yugi. No wonder he was a game master. He was pulling out all the stops; charming and attentive, wooing her with an expensive meal, skilfully manipulating the odds in his favour.

It was working too. If it continued like this, she would be agreeing to everything he asked of her, and more. Why did she give in so easily when it came to gorgeous, charming, romantic men?

The arrival of the waiter with their drinks, broke Yugi's eye contact with her, giving her a moment to breath and get her feelings back under control.

Once he had left, Anzu picked up her Gin and Tonic, relaxed back into her arm chair and took a sip.

Yugi sat, angled in his chair, watched her relaxing. It made him happy to see her looking contented. The war weary look he had seen in her last night and this morning, and to some extent this evening, was going away, and some of her sparkle was returning.

As he sipped on his whiskey, savouring the warmth as it went down, he vowed to do everything in his power to make sure her sparkle never faded again.

::::::::::::

The waitress showed them to a different table to the one Yugi had sat at the first night he was here. This table was more private, and had a view out onto the garden at the rear of the hotel. It was too cold to sit out at this time of year, but the garden was lit up at night, causing the shrubs and sculptures to cast interesting shadows.

"This is perfect," Anzu observed, smoothing her hand over the crisp white table linen – there was not a single crease; it almost seemed a shame to disturb the fancily folded napkins and silver cutlery.

Tony had taken her to some fancy places when they first dated, but it had been several months since she had been anywhere this nice.

"I'm pleased you like it," Yugi beamed, picking up the wine list. "Do you like drinking wine?"

"I do," she nodded. "I think I prefer white though."

"Anything in particular?" He showed her the wine list. "I was thinking Chardonnay, but I don't mind. You choose."

"Chardonnay is probably my choice too," she agreed.

He ordered a bottle of the Californian Chardonnay.

"Have you decided what you're having to eat yet, Yugi? I still can't decide. Everything looks so nice."

"It does," he agreed. "Tough choice, but I'm going for the pork loin with creamed potatoes – sounds interesting."

"Very nice. Well, I think I will have the monkfish wrapped in Parma ham."

"Are you having a starter?" He asked, intrigued by the salmon mouse, he added, "Do you know what mousse is? I always thought it was a rodent!" His eyebrows knotted together in concern, but he was also smirking and Anzu was not sure if he was joking or confused by the spelling. She had to press the back of her hand to her mouth to stop herself letting out a loud shriek of laughter.

"Mousse; it's like salmon with cream cheese and herbs –and mouse only has one S, silly," she giggled. He winked at her, cheekily.

"Maybe I'll have the soup then. What about you?"

"I'm not having a starter," she replied. "I learnt a long time ago that American sized portions are way too big for me." She had a point. He had struggled to eat all of his burger yesterday, it was that big!

"You're right. No starter then. Just the main."

"And possibly a desert," she grinned. She always loved desert.

The waiter returned with their wine and asked if one of them would like to taste it first. Anzu gestured to Yugi. He took a sip and nodded. It was nice.

Anzu thought it ought to be at that price!

The waitress took their food order, and Yugi started munching on his bread roll.

"Are you not eating yours?" He asked, noting that Anzu was not touching her roll.

"Not yet. I'm waiting to see how big the meals are first." Good point, he thought, placing his half eaten roll back on the side plate.

A few moments later, the waitress brought them each a fresh green salad, with croutons, crispy bacon, walnuts, and crumbled feta. They were both surprised, but Yugi more so.

"We didn't order a salad?" Yugi queried, wondering if the waitress was bringing it to the wrong table.

"The salad is complimentary," she explained.

"See what I mean about the food, Yugi?" Anzu said, after the waitress had gone. "Now you know why I said not to order a starter."

Salads devoured, their main courses arrived. It was fine dining, so the plates were not overloaded, but it was very tasty and Yugi found the pork melted in his mouth.

"How's your monkfish?" He asked.

Unable to speak with her mouth full of food, she nodded, and hummed her satisfaction.

They both demolished their plates and even had room for a desert: Yugi ordered a chocolate delice, which came with Irish coffee ice cream, while Anzu ordered strawberry bavarois.

She could not resist when Yugi gave her a cheeky grin and reached across the table with his spoon, and popped a some of his desert into her mouth. Giggling, she returned the favour with the delicious, creamy strawberry.

They finished the evening with coffee, which they decided to take at their table, since the lounge was now quite packed.

"This feels like old times, doesn't it?" Anzu smiled, her smile reaching all the way up to her eyes. "Although," she hastened to add, "it's definitely a step up from our old days at Burger World."

"It is," he agreed, not letting on, that, as long as she was with him, he would be just as happy with Burger World.

Anzu found herself wishing that the evening would never end, but she started work at eight tomorrow morning. If she went home now, she could get to bed at a reasonable time, stay in bed until seven thirty in the morning, and still be on time. But if she slept here, with Yugi, she would need to be up at seven to ensure she could make it to work by eight.

But, he had not suggested she stay, yet. And he had no idea that she had brought an overnight bag with her, because she had left it in the safe drop area behind reception.

Should she tell him she had an overnight bag with her?

Who would make the first move?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is not sure what Irish Coffee is, it's coffee with Irish Whiskey. So the ice cream Yugi had, basically, had coffee and Irish Whiskey added.  
> Chocolate Delice is basically a posh chocolate mousse. Strawberry bavarois is a thin layer of sponge, with a strawberry mousse.


	10. Final Decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week in which the world has descended into even more chaos. I do hope you are all managing to stay safe in these turbulent times? Perhaps a bit of escapism into the world of Yugioh fan fiction will provide a bit of much needed relief from it all.

Finishing her decaffeinated coffee, Anzu placed the delicate china cup back on its saucer.

Poised to call the waitress over, Yugi asked, "would you like another?" He wouldn't mind more coffee himself.

She shook her head. "No. No, I should probably be leaving anyway."

"So soon?" He was bewildered. It was only nine twenty.

"I don't want to be too late to bed," she explained, "I start work in the cafe at eight in the morning." He was disappointed; why had she had not mentioned that she was working in the morning before now?

Sensing his disappointment, Anzu found herself fiddling with a foil wrapper from one of the after dinner mints as a distraction.

"Maybe I should pay the bill then," he replied flatly, adding more insistently, " But I had kind of hoped you would stay. The suite I'm staying in is really cool."

Was that a euphemism for wanting her to sleep with him? No. Yugi was not like the men she had grown accustomed to since living here. But still, he was not an innocent boy any more; he was a man, just like all the other men who came to the club to leer at strippers. She stuck to her guns. "I'm sorry Yugi. I know you bought me a lovely meal, and I probably seem ungrateful, but I'm not." She gave him a small, apologetic smile. "I really should be getting home."

She was caught off-guard when he reached over and took her hand in his, and she let the wrapper fall to the table.

He smiled disarmingly. "I won't force you to stay if you don't want to. But, I was really hoping you might want to come and see the suite before you go?"

He was naturally very charming, she remembered. But still...

"You men are all the same," she teased, trying to inject some humour into the statement, without success.

"Hey!" He pouted, hurt by the accusation. "I'm deeply wounded. Not all men are the same. Some of us are actually decent, or have you forgotten that?"

"Sadly, the men I meet lately are all like that," she lamented. Her voice was full of bitter regret, and Yugi's heart went out to her for what she might have been through at the hands of Tony.

"Well, I'm not." He was a bit upset that she was implying he could be anything like Tony. But he did not want to berate her for it though, and instead took an honest, kind approach. "I won't deny that rekindling our romance hasn't crossed my mind. But you know me, Anzu! I'm nothing like Tony, and I would never force myself on you."

His sincerity made Anzu feel guilty at what she had implied. She had not actually meant it to sound like she was accusing him of being a sleaze. But her comment had backfired, and now he thought she was accusing him of being a rapist, like Tony.

"I know you're not like that Yugi. I'm sorry. I do trust you. What I said was a generalisation; I've had a couple of bad experiences and it's made me feel dreadful and disgusting and full of hatred for those sort of men. So I guess it sounded worse than I intended. Sorry."

He was still holding her hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he gazed at her with sympathetic eyes. "No. You shouldn't apologise. You've been hurt by those guys and I wish I could magic it all away and make everything better. But sadly I can't. All I can do is ask you to let me take care of you, and hopefully I can to get my happy go lucky, plucky, optimistic girl back."

"Do I seem that unhappy to you, Yugi?" She queried. She had tried not to give the impression she was miserable, but again, another epic fail on her part.

He patted her hand gently. "Unfortunately, you do."

She pulled her hand away and sagged back in her chair, frowning. "As much as I hate to admit it, I am fed up and pretty despondent. If I had any sense, I would readily go home to Japan with you. I don't even know why I want to stay here any more. Well, I do know why, I suppose. But even my stubborn determination is dwindling."

He sensed the war going on in her head, but at least she was starting to consider his proposal. "Tell you what. Why don't you come up to my suite? I'll show you around and we can talk about the future. I can book a taxi to take you home for whatever time you like. What do you say?"

Anzu took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay! Twenty minutes. Then I really do need to go."

He nodded his agreement."I'll get the bill then." He wasted no time in attracting the attention of a passing waitress.

::::::::::::

After settling the bill, the couple made their way out of the restaurant.

Not wanting Yugi to know she had come prepared to stay the night, Anzu decided that she would leave her holdall where it was and pick it up on the way out.

However, Yugi decided to order her a taxi and made a beeline for reception, and as they approached, the receptionist, thinking she had come to collect her bag, greeted Anzu with a polite smile. "Ah, Miss. Your bag. I will just get it for you."

Anzu tried to remain composed, but was internally cringing. "Oh! Yes. My bag. No need to..." But the receptionist had already gone to get it.

Standing beside her, Yugi turned towards her and was looking at her with confused intrigue. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked, as the receptionist handed Anzu a grey holdall, with pink and lime green trim. He had all but forgotten the reason he had wanted to come to speak to reception.

Anzu wished the floor would open up and swallow her as she attempted to avoid his gaze.

"I can explain," she said, matter-of-factly. "What was it you needed to see reception about, Yugi?" She reminded him.

"Oh! Yeah. Taxi. But since you have an overnight bag, I guess it's not needed," he said, waiting to see what she would say.

"Don't worry about the taxi," she said quickly, and grabbed his arm, "If I'm staying, I want to see where I'm spending the night." Well, that was a complete turnaround!

He scratched his head and chuckled, willingly letting her drag him towards the elevators. "So," he tried not to grin too broadly, but could not help it. "You planned to stay all along then?"

Pouting at him, she sighed, "That's not... I don't know. I packed a bag, just in case the evening ran late," she explained, as they entered the lift. "We finished eating early enough that I thought I might as well go home. But since you want me to stay, I've changed my mind."

"I never said you had to stay. But I'm glad you've decided you will," he said, smiling. He put his arm around her and give her a friendly hug, but another couple got in with them so he quickly pulled away. The elderly woman looked at them rather disapprovingly, and whispered something to her husband about inappropriate behaviour. Anzu noticed how her Botox and obvious face-lift barely moved as she spoke, making her look even more condescending.

Anzu was about to say something in return, but Yugi nudged her and winked, shaking his head. "Don't say anything," he said, in Japanese.

"She's a stuck up cow," Anzu replied, also in Japanese. The couple had no idea what they were saying and Anzu felt triumphant just by that alone.

No one said anything else as the lift ascended, and the silence was deafening.

Anzu saw Yugi glancing at her from the corner of his eye. The look of stifled amusement on his face was all too much for her, and she found herself snickering behind her hand. She tried not to look at Yugi again, but he sneakily poked her side, and that was it; they were six years old again, being scolded by that grumpy woman in the park, who did not approve of Anzu sitting too close to Yugi on a bench, while they took it in turns to lick their shared ice cream (they did not have enough money for one each), and she burst out into a fit of the giggles.

Yugi started laughing too, literally falling against her as they snickered and giggled and made all sorts of daft noises as they tried to stifle their laughter.

The snooty couple in the lift with them, gave them the most utterly disgusted glares, and when Anzu heard the woman tutting, and saying to her husband, "what a disgrace this place was turning into. They're letting all sorts of riffraff stay here these days," she almost blew a raspberry at them for the fun of it. It was probably just all the pent up anxiety letting itself go, but this was the most she had laughed in ages.

Luckily, the couple got out two floors below and as soon as the doors slid shut again, the giggling pair looked at each other breathlessly, their laughter suddenly dissipating as quickly as it had started.

"What was all that about?" He asked, eyes watery from laughter and face red.

"I really don't know," she shrugged, dabbing her tear and mascara streaked cheeks. "I just couldn't help it. That couple looked like they had rods up their behinds. And you kept looking at me and I felt like... I dunno... I've been so miserable lately, and for some reason I remembered that time when we were kids and that woman didn't approve of us sharing ice cream."

"You always were my crazy girl," he teased fondly. He barely even remembered the incident –they were always getting told off!

The lift stopped again, and the doors slid open. "This is our floor," he said, picking up her bag, which she had dropped at her feet while laughing. He gestured for her to exit the lift first.

She got out and waited for him. "This way," he said, leading her along the expensively decorated hallway. It was a million times nicer than the piss soaked dump she was used to.

He swiped his entry card. The lock released with a resounding click and he pushed the door open, stepping inside.

Anzu could not believe her eyes. Well, she could. It was incredible, and just highlighted how humble her living conditions were in comparison.

The lounge area was spacious, modern and bright, with pale grey, white and aubergine décor, furniture and fittings. There were mod cons Anzu could only ever dream about: Low level lighting that could be remotely adjusted, a massive smart TV on the wall, a well stocked bar, and an incredible panoramic view over night-time Manhattan made the suite feel like the room they were in was actually part of the outside.

"Check this out!" Yugi grinned, pushing a button on a panel on the wall. A silver/grey blind lowered from the top of the window, shutting out the night sky.

"But I like the view," she pouted. Chuckling, he pressed the button again and the blinds tilted, allowing a more filtered view.

"It's one way glass, so no one can see in. And in the daytime it also filters out the glare from the sun to help keep the temperature in here constant," he explained.

"I love the couch," she said, kicking off her shoes and sitting down in the white, leather, low backed two seater. Yugi was tempted to join her, but there was more to see first.

"Wait till you see the other rooms!" He grinned.

Nodding, she jumped up and followed him into a room that was as big as her lounge and kitchen area combined. There was a spa-bath and a large walk in shower that had a massive shower head hanging from the ceiling. Yugi adjusted the lighting and the interior became dark. Lights twinkled, giving Anzu the feeling she was floating in the cosmos. It was a cool effect, but a bit gimmicky, she felt.

"Not impressed? Oh! Okay." He shrugged. "Maybe you'll like the bedroom better," he winked, excitement in his voice.

He was only ever like this when he showed her a new game he was enthusiastic about.

"I'm sure I will," she said, trying to downplay his exuberance by pretending to be unimpressed. But when she saw the bedroom she gasped. The bed was obscenely big. "You could fit a football team in there!" She shrieked, immediately following up her observation with a grimace. "Not that I want that image in my mind,"

"Not sure I want to share my bed with a football team, full stop!" He then added, "But I would love to share it with you." Suddenly realising what he had just said, he backtracked and looked apologetic. "As friends! I'm not suggesting we... hmm. After what we talked about earlier... Maybe I should just shut up now, before I dig myself a bigger hole." He was blushing furiously and Anzu found it cute how he was squirming and trying to backtrack.

"Erm.. well..." She put her finger to her chin, pretending to string him along. "A bed like that is a bit big for one person, don't you think? So I guess I might be generous and let you share it with me, as long as you stay on your half." However, as much as she tried to maintain a straight face, she could not help cracking up. Especially when he squeaked, "But it's my bed!"

However, he was grinning, and shaking his head in amusement at the way she was trying and failing to stifle her amusement. It was nice to see her more relaxed and cheerful again.

Taking his chances, he decided to approach her.

She was taken by surprise when he confidently touched her arm, and she immediately turned to face him. His demeanour was more serious now, and she found herself full of mixed emotions as to how she would respond. He had told her that he would not try anything, but was anxious that his intentions were to try and seduce her. She was not ready for that. It had been a long time since they had shared any real intimacy, and a lot of bad stuff had happened to her since then. She needed to let him down gently, without hurting him with an outright rejection.

His other hand came up to touch her opposite shoulder, and she braced her hands on his chest, ready to gently push him away if need be.

"It's nice to see you laughing again," he observed, smiling with such love and devotion. He rubbed her upper arms with his hands in a friendly gesture, then leaned forward and kissed the end of her nose playfully, teasingly. He was testing the waters, she assumed.

But he did not press for more, and pulled back, still with the loving smile.

"Would you like a nightcap? The bar is well stocked." he asked.

"No thanks," she said firmly, "I don't think I want anything else to drink."

"Okay. Do you mind if I have one?"

"No. Go ahead. I might get ready for bed."

He nodded. "If you don't want to sleep with me, there is a second bedroom in this suite."

"It's okay," she said tightly, following him back into the living area. "I'm actually looking forward to sleeping in the big bed with you."

"I wanted to talk to you before we do go to bed. I was hoping you would give me your answer about coming home with me." Since she was starting to relax, and seemed happier than she had been, he felt this was the time to get a proper answer out of her.

"You want my answer," she stated, sitting down on the white leather couch, while he went to the bar.

"Yes. I do," he confirmed. Despite how well they were getting on, he was standing by this morning's ultimatum – he wanted her answer tonight.

He was about to pour himself a Scotch whiskey, but changed his mind. He wanted to keep a clear head. Instead, he took out a bottle of water and two glasses. "Would you like some water?" He asked. She replied that she did so he filled two glasses and brought them over, placing them both on the smokey glass coffee table.

Sitting down, he turned towards her; legs slightly apart, his hands folded together and his elbows resting on his knees. He hoped this open, friendly position would put her at ease. "Well," he said, "Are you going to give me an answer?"

There was hesitation. She was not saying anything and he was getting slightly irritable. Especially since she was sitting with her knees pressed together and hands held protectively over her abdomen. It was like she was withdrawing from him again.

Anzu felt agitated. Instead of looking at him, she chose to stare at the large TV screen on the wall opposite where they were sitting. "That's the biggest television screen I've ever seen!" She stated, voice clipped and nervy.

He was a bit exasperated. "Why are you trying to avoid answering me Anzu?" He said abruptly.

"I'm not! That really is the biggest TV..." she trailed off. He looked tired and his stern expression warned that his patience was running thin. "Because I'm scared," she admitted.

He scooted closer, the irritation he had been feeling a moment ago fading. "What's there to be scared of Anzu? I keep asking you for a simple answer, but you keep trying to avoid it. All I want is for you to come home to Japan with me. What's so awful about that?"

Her face went bright red. "Yugi! You make it sound like it's a straightforward choice: You or New York. It's not that simple."

"But what do you want the most? Me, or this city full of impossible dreams? Or am I not enough?"

Unhappy about his passive aggressive approach, she shook her head sadly. "It's got nothing to do with how much I love you. I already feel like I've let myself and everyone I love down, Yugi, so please don't make me feel worse than I already do. My parents saved for years so that I could come here for my education and to pursue a dream. If I give up and go home it would have all been for nothing."

"It's not all for nothing. I'm not asking you to give up on your dream of Broadway, I'm just urging you to look at other possibilities. New York isn't the only place you can dance."

"I know that! It's just..." he was right, and she knew her reasoning was starting to sound like belligerent whinging. She tried a new approach. "Would you consider moving here, to be with me?" His expression told her that he would not. "Thought not. But it was worth a try," she smiled, apprehensively.

"It's not that I don't want to, Anzu. I did give it some thought. But I have too many business interests at home. My game cost a lot to develop, and although the sales are good, it will be a while before we turn a profit. Kaiba has invested in me personally, and we have a lot of plans for more games in the future. Right now I'm working with Mokuba on a new attraction for Kaiba Land. If I left my job to come here, I would be breaking my contract with Kaiba and he could bankrupt me."

"That sounds like he owns you Yugi! Not a good deal." Yugi was always too easy going, and it worried her that Kaiba might be taking advantage of his nice nature. Mind you, he was not being easy going on her right now.

"It's not what you think Anzu. I'm not weak, and Kaiba certainly doesn't own me. I was the one who actually called the shots to get him to invest in me. Without his help, Spherium would still be childhood sketches in the back of my old school books."

"What if you dueled on the pro-circuit here?" She already knew what the response would be to that, and was prepared for his answer.

"Anzi! You know full well what I think of the US Pro-circuit! It's as corrupt as the Millennium Ring!"

She snorted, and said, "It's not quite that bad."

Shrugging, he scowled at her. "We're getting off subject. I'm not letting up until you give me an answer."

"You won't let it go until I say yes, will you?" She sighed, knowing that when Yugi wanted something that badly, he never gave up or backed down.

"Nope!" He stated, resolutely.

She knew she was losing the battle. He was right, and each time she thought about it, and tried to justify remaining in New York, she found herself finding it harder and harder to do so. There really was nothing here for her any more – it was pointless staying. "Okay, you win," she pouted. "Nothing is working out how I hoped. I keep trying, wishing my luck would change, but I'm banging my head on a brick wall and sinking ever deeper into despair. My head's a mess, and even though I love you, I keep pushing you away because I'm frightened, that once we're married I will abandon my own ambitions just like my mother did. I've been so stupid. Why you still love me is a mystery to me." She glanced at him, then looked away, unable to look at what she expected was his triumphant expression. She wanted to say, 'yeah, you've won Yugi, don't rub it in,' but that would be unfair, because he was never one to gloat over a victory.

"Anzu. Look at me?" He said, softly. In response, she looked up at him. He scooted closer and leaned in.

"It's no mystery." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled away slightly. "I will always love you, no matter how stupid you are."

She prodded him in the shoulder. "Oi! Don't rub it in mister." However, her efforts to sound stern failed thanks to the grin she was unable to suppress.

"I'm the winner," he teased, tickling her. "So I can rub it in as much as I like."

"I don't recall actually agreeing to go home to Japan," she said, tickling him back."So you haven't won yet!"

"No! Well how's this for persuasion?" He prodded her side, just under her ribs, and she almost folded in half as she let out a squeal.

From there it deteriorated into a tickle fight, in which he quickly got the upper hand.

She was trying to squirm away from his tickles while attempting to find his most ticklish spot, which she remembered being his tummy. But he guarded himself well. In the end she tried grabbing his wrists, but he was stronger than her and ended up on top of her, straddling her thighs.

Suddenly remembering himself, he stopped tickling her and let her up.

"Sorry. I got a bit carried away," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"Nah.. I started it," she confessed, laughing breathlessly.

He started laughing too, shaking his head in bemusement. "I dunno what's got into us; laughing in the lift, now this. The stress has made us both go completely mad."

"Speak for yourself Yugi. I'm totally sane. And to prove it..." She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him closer so that she could kiss him on the lips, before releasing him.

Their noses were almost touching still, and for a moment he hesitated, eyes wide and trying not to grin too broadly. But he could not prevent relieved and overjoyed laughter from escaping, as he decided to take a chance and return her kiss with an open mouthed, passionate one of his own. She yelped and pulled away.

"What's so funny about a kiss?" She inquired indignantly.

"I take it that's a yes then?" As the reality that she might be agreeing to his terms sunk in. his voice started to tremble with emotion.

She huffed and pouted at him in a sort of mock sulk. "Yes to what?"

"To come home to Japan with me?" He had thrown down his winning hand. Aces high –she could not beat it.

She conceded. "Yes. I will come home. But not right away. I have to work a month's notice at the cafe first. I also have to give notice on my flat too; it's paid a month in advance and I also want my deposit back."

"I understand that. But I'm not keen to leave you on your own. You're vulnerable. I'll see if I can swing some extra days here. But I have a couple of commitments I don't think I can back out of, so I'll have to check first. "

"The police might want to speak to us again anyway," she said. "so it would be good if you are here."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I'm exhausted, so we should probably get to bed."

"Oh! Yes. It's nearly half ten!" She had lost track of the time.

"And you've got to be up at, what time?"

"Seven," she confirmed. Strangely, she was not even all that tired now. Must be the three and a half hours sleep she had this afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a bit sorry for Yugi. He's doing everything he can to win her over, and he's finally getting somewhere. Let's hope she doesn't change her mind again!


	11. Arrangements.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are all well. Pegasus makes an appearance towards the end of this chapter. I always like writing him because he's so dramatic and almost camp.
> 
> No particular warnings for this chapter, so enjoy.

Having both brushed their teeth and got themselves ready for bed, they prepared to settle down.

Yugi relaxed on his back into the mattress, his head resting comfortably on his pillow. He glanced across at Anzu sitting on her side of the big bed. She was playing with her phone.

Thanks to his lingering jet lag, a disturbed and stressful night previous, Yugi was feeling exhausted. But despite his exhaustion, he was relieved and contented. Anzu had agreed to go home to Japan and start afresh, which was a huge weight off his mind.

She had also cheered up immeasurably, laughing playfully, and even kissing him! He had not expected such a quick change in her, because she had been so desperately unhappy after he had seen her flaunting it at that club. And then there was the trauma of Tony turning up at her apartment, threatening them with violence, and then dying in pretty violent, alarming circumstances.

To what extent had Anzu been involved with Tony? Yugi still wanted to ask her about her about her relationship with the man, but now was not the right time. Not after she was starting to become more like her old, chirpy self. And, anyway, she would most likely talk about it eventually, once they had returned to Japan and were settled in their relationship.

He felt his heavy eyelids drooping closed. Sleep would come easily tonight.

Meanwhile, Anzu set her alarm volume to go off quietly, before placing her phone just under the edge of her pillow, so that it would wake her, but hopefully not be loud enough to wake Yugi, and then she snuggled down on her side, gazing across at him. He was laying on his back, eyes closed, hands folded over his chest, breathing steadily. He still looked as boyish as ever. When he was clean shaven and relaxed as he was, he could easily still be mistaken for a teenager.

Sensing she was now settling down now, he blinked his eyes open and rolled onto his side to face her. He peered at her, eyes heavily lidded. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, "I was just thinking; this bed is so huge, you look like you're miles away." She scooted closer.

He scooted closer as well, until their noses were almost touching. "Better?"

"Better, she agreed," lifting her head and leaning over to place a little kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight Yugi," she smiled. He smiled back at her.

"I was just thinking too," he said, voice soft and relaxed, "Do you want to meet me after work tomorrow?"

"Sure," she said, already looking forward to it. "I get off at two. What time do you finish?"

"Supposedly by six. But it's the final day and Pegasus is putting in an appearance. I'm expecting him to keep me busy; he hinted at me having dinner with him when I spoke to him on the phone the other day." He did not look, nor sound too keen on the idea of having dinner with Pegasus, and Anzu could understand why; Pegasus had done some pretty terrible things under the influence of the Millennium Eye. Anzu found him quite scary with that horrible eye, and she wondered what filled the hole it must have left after Bakura took it from him. It was gross to even think about.

Yugi continued, "He asked after you. I didn't know what to say, since we weren't speaking. But it would be really nice if you could accompany me?" He said, hopefully.

"You mean, be your chaperone, Yugi-Boy?" She put on a mock Pegasus voice when she spoke the pet name Pegasus had given him.

He lifted his head off his pillow and grimaced at her. "Ugh! Your impression is even more annoying than the real Pegasus!"

She pretended to look offended. "It was supposed to sound creepy, you know? Like Pegasus."

"Hmm," he shrugged, "He's not so much creepy, as irritating these days. I asked him not to call me Yugi-Boy, but it was like water off a duck's back. Kaiba tried the more blunt and aggressive approach with him, and that didn't work either. Pegasus might be brilliant in his field, but he's completely mad and infuriating."

He was starting to get a bit agitated, so reached across and patted his shoulder to calm him, "Yeah, I'll come with you. I haven't seen Pegasus for years, except for on TV. It'll be nice to catch up."

"If you say so." He chuckled, relieved she was agreeing to come. "Message me when you finish work, and I'll hopefully know what the arrangements are by then."

"Okay," she nodded, leaning across to place another little kiss on his cheek.

"Shall I turn the lights off now?" He asked.

"I think so."

"A proper kiss goodnight first though," he said, placing a gentle, loving kiss to her lips. She responded and the kiss lasted a few seconds before they parted, smiling lovingly at one another. Neither knew who instigated it, but they both started placing more tender little kisses to one another's lips and cheeks.

Knowing he would become aroused if this carried on, Yugi placed one last kiss on her cute nose, winked at her and moved away.

"Night," he said, reaching up to turn off the light.

"I'll try not to disturb you when I get up," she whispered.

"Thanks," he whispered back. "But I expect I could sleep through an earthquake I'm that tired."

"Why are we whispering?" She wondered, still whispering.

He snickered lightly. "Because it's dark, and the boogie man is hiding under the bed..." He added a sinister laugh, tickling his fingers over her face and neck.

"Stop it Yugi! Go to sleep. And I don't believe in the boogie man."

"Shame.. I was hoping you might be so afraid you will let me cuddle you."

"You are the boogie man Yugi."

"Thought you said you didn't believe in him?"

"I don't. Go to sleep." She scooted closer anyway, and snuggled into his embrace.

"Ah... that's better," he hummed contentedly.

Yugi fell asleep within minutes of them settling, but it took a while longer for Anzu to finally drift off due to his snoring in her ear.

Glad of the big bed, she was able to slip out of his arms and scoot far enough away for his heavy breathing not to be a nuisance. And once she did drift off, she slept like a log.

::::::::::::

When Anzu's alarm went off at seven, it startled her. Although it was on low volume, it vibrated and she thought she had a wasp or something in her ear.

Sitting bolt upright, she squealed as she flicked her hand at her head, trying to swat the annoying buzzy thing away. And then she she saw the light emanating from her phone, tucked under the edge of her pillow.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she steadied her breathing and placed a hand over her heart to try and calm herself down; she hated waking up with a jolt like this, and it would probably make her feel out of sorts all morning.

Worried her flapping about might have woken Yugi, she peered across at him. The room was still dark and she could not really see his features, but luckily he still looked to be sound asleep.

Using just the light on her phone to guide her, she slipped out of bed quietly, picked up her bag and tiptoed to the bathroom.

Once she had finished brushing her teeth and washing, she dressed in her uniform, consisting of dark brown blouse, black trousers and flat, non-slip soled black shoes, did her hair in a ponytail and put on some light make-up, before slipping out of the suite and into the corridor.

Most people were still asleep, and it seemed eerily quiet along the corridor as she pressed the call button for the elevators. She did not have to wait long for it to arrive, and once down in reception, she made her way outside into the crisp morning air.

::::::::::::

Yugi woke a little after eight. He felt happy, and for the first time since arriving here he did not feel jet-lagged.

He took a deep breath and let out a long, contented sigh as he stretched out his limbs. And then he sank back down into the comfortable bed, too relaxed to want to move. But his bladder was full so he knew he would have to soon.

He looked across at where Anzu had slept and smiled. She must have been so quiet, for he had not heard her go.

Sitting up, he reached for his phone to check his messages. As hoped, there was one from Anzu, that read:  
Hey sleepyhead. Hope I didn't disturb you when I got up? The message was finished with a smiley face and a love heart. It made him smile.

He fired back a message to say he had not heard her go. He wished her a good day, and said he would call her later. He ended the message with a smiley face with love heart eyes.

His bladder could not wait any longer so he jumped out of bead and padded to the bathroom.

While standing there, peeing into the porcelain, it occurred to him that there was a lot to arrange if he was to stay in New York for another week, and he wanted to get it sorted out before leaving for work this morning.

He took a very quick shower to freshen up, put on nothing but a dressing gown, and then called room service and asked for a pot of tea and some scrambled eggs.

While he waited for breakfast to arrive, he rang Seto Kaiba with the good news and... the bad news.

"You're doing what?!" Seto shouted. "You have an important meeting on Thursday." Yugi held the phone away and put it on speaker. He had thought about this being the reaction and was prepared.

"Kaiba! It can easily be done via video conference," he explained.

Seto snorted, and grumbled something that Yugi did not quite catch.

"So, I take it that was a yes?" He asked brightly.

There was an ominous pause. Kaiba was considering Yugi's request, and for a moment Yugi was worried they might be about to had an argument over it. Luckily, his fears were unfounded.

"Very well Yugi. But I need you back here by next Wednesday. I shouldn't need to remind you that the planning inspectors are coming to review the proposals yourself and Mokuba put forward for the new Kaiba Land attraction, and I want you there to answer any safety concerns they might have."

"Okay. I have another question," Yugi said, sheepishly, "I need to rearrange my flight home. But I looked online and..."

"Leave that with me. I will e-mail you the details of your new flight ticket." He could not see that Yugi was grinning; it was what he had hoped Kaiba would offer to do. Kaiba owned several aircraft and had invested in the airline company; he would easily be able to change Yugi's flight for him, with no extra cost. Yugi hoped he would put him in first class too.

"Great! Thanks Kaiba." There was a knock at the door – an excuse to end the call quickly. "I gotta go. Room service is here with my breakfast. And, thanks again."

"Don't thank me Yugi. I will be making sure you more than make up for your absence, next week," he said caustically. That did not surprise Yugi at all.

"I'm sure you will," he said, after Kaiba had hung up, snorting lightly as he went to answer the door.

He opened it to find a young woman standing beside a stainless steel hostess trolley. "Good morning, sir. Your breakfast."

"Thank you," he nodded, standing aside to allow her in. She steered the wheeled trolley over to the table, and slid open a door in the side revealing a heated compartment containing his food.

She unloaded it and placed it on the table for him. "Enjoy your meal sir," she smiled, hesitating to leave.

It suddenly dawned on Yugi that she was probably waiting for her tip. "Oh! Just a minute. I'll get my wallet." He went into the bedroom, and quickly returned, handing her five dollars. She thanked him and left.

He sat down to eat. The plate was covered with a stainless steel dome and when he lifted it off he was confronted with a large platter of scrambled eggs, toasted wholemeal muffins, bacon, mushrooms and grilled tomatoes. He rolled his eyes at it. After last night's meal, all he had wanted was some scrambled eggs and green tea. Another week of eating like this and he would not be able to do his trousers up!

He poured himself some tea, and then tucked in. Despite worrying about his waistline, and not thinking he was that hungry, he still ate it all.

As he scraped up the last forkful of food from his plate, his mind turned back to his list of things to do before work. Kaiba had been easier to deal with than he had thought.

The next task was to ring Grandpa.

He figured that Grandpa would probably be harder to convince; he had already complained about having to pay Mai for working extra hours at the weekend because Yugi was away. He had been expecting Yugi back in time for this coming weekend, but now Yugi would have to tell him he would not be back until the following Monday or Tuesday.

He checked the time and dialled. Grandpa was probably drinking his usual evening glass of sake about now. Hopefully he was in a good mood.

"Yugi! How goes it my boy?" He chuckled, "Have you had any luck with Anzu yet?"

"I'm working on it."

Grandpa chuckled. It was his dirty chuckle. "Try using the Muto charm, my boy. Works every time," Yugi rolled his eyes, but of course, Grandpa Muto could not see his reaction.

"Don't worry Grandpa. I am," Yugi said, matter of factly. "Thing is, we still have a lot to work through, so I plan to stay here for another week." There was silence. "Grandpa? You still there?"

"Yes. Yes, Yugi. I'm just thinking. When you say another week, does this mean you won't be able to run the store next weekend?"

Yugi got straight to the point. "That's exactly what I'm saying. But I'm sure Mai or Jonouchi will be happy to earn some extra money. So perhaps you could ask one of them if they can cover for me."

"But profits..." Grandpa began. However, Yugi was prepared for this and cut him off before he could launch much of a protest

"Profits are good Grandpa. We can easily afford it. And I hardly ever take time off; I'm desperately in need of a break. I also need to spend some quality time with Anzu if I'm to win her back."

Grandpa sighed and relented. "Of course Yugi. You are a good grandson and I expect too much of you. Take as long as you like."

Yugi grinned. "Thanks Grandpa."

"Oh! And Yugi? Good luck. Don't forget to show her what a Muto man is made of!" He chuckled.

Yugi laughed in return, "Yeah... I won't. She's already coming round. Listen. I have to go now. I've gotta get to work. So I will see you a week Tuesday, okay?"

"Keep me posted on how it goes with Anzu?"

"I will. Bye Grandpa."

"Bye Yugi." Grandpa was still chuckling when Yugi hung up.

Yugi heaved a big sigh. He loved his grandfather to bits, and knew that the old man felt the same way about him. So he should never have doubted that his grandfather would be anything less than understanding.

He finished getting ready for work. Not wishing to be late again, he left the suite allowing plenty of time go get the conference centre. On the way out, he stopped by reception to check on the room situation.

As he half expected, the suite was booked, so he would have to vacate it after tomorrow - shame, but he could not afford it anyway. However, he was able to reserve another, more affordable room if he wanted it.

"Can I get back to you this evening to confirm the room?" He asked the receptionist. "Only I have one or two things to sort out first." Namely, confirmation of his flight time home, and, more importantly, see if Anzu would agree to move away from her flat and share his room with him.

::::::::::::

Outside, the sun was shining and it was a bit warmer than it had been the last couple of days. The sun was reflecting brightly off the glass windows of the skyscrapers, making Yugi feel more positive about the city than he had since arriving to find it gloomy and rainy. Maybe he was also liking the place more because things were looking up between himself and Anzu. He also had a week off work to spend with her.

He made his way towards the subway and purchased a newspaper from a vendor. He did not really need a newspaper, but it would be good to practice reading in English, and he quite liked doing the cryptic puzzles and crosswords in them too.

Tucking the paper under his arm, he made his way along the street to the conference centre, arriving twenty minutes early.

He smiled to himself smugly; he had beaten all of his co-workers there, bar one; the girl selling merchandise was busy tidying up and putting out more sweatshirts, tee-shirts, key-chains and other memorabilia, that was mostly Pegasus related.

Yugi had a rummage through, and underneath the Pegasus tat, found quite a few memorabilia items of himself. Some, interestingly, had the lightening spikes in his hair from when Atem would take over during duels. He wondered if anyone actually noticed, or if they had just assumed that he used to style his spikes up like that to look more intimidating in duels.

He was just about to buy one of the Yami Yugi key-chains, as a reminder of Atem, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Yugi-Boy! Good morning to you!" Came the chirpy, melodic tones of Pegasus. Yugi cringed at the so called term of endearment –old habits died hard where Pegasus was concerned. His lip curling into a snarl.

But as he turned around his face relaxed and he managed to greet the CEO with a more neutral expression. "Pegasus." He almost sneered, but realised he should probably smile and be polite, otherwise Pegasus was bound to pick him up for being surly.

"Oh! Yugi-Boy! You don't have to pretend you're happy to see me," Pegasus jested, but Yugi could hear the slight note of hurt in his voice.

"It's not you," he complained, "it's the name. I'm twenty four and you still call me Yugi-Boy." Maybe Pegasus would finally get that his idea of a joke, or teasing, or whatever it was supposed to be, was not that amusing.

"Would you prefer if I called you something else, Little Game," he teased. That did it. Yugi had had enough.

Luckily, Pegasus noticed the thunderous look on his face and quickly backtracked. "Or maybe just Yugi?"

"Yugi will do just fine," he ground out, through gritted teeth.

Pegasus smiled, but with a look of relief on his face. He rubbed his hands together, "Then that settles it. No more Yugi-Boy. I will call you Yugi from now on." He still over emphasised 'Yugi-Boy' but Yugi let it go. Pegasus continued on, with the usual cadence in his voice, "Shall we go and talk business? I would for love you to demonstrate me your game. I have heard such wonderful things about it."

"Sure," Yugi nodded, happy to show him the game he was so proud of, but also hoping that Pegasus would get the theatrics under control.

::::::::::::

Unfortunately, with Pegasus attending, the convention was now swarming with media and photographers. So Yugi ended up having to do his demonstration to Pegasus with a film crew and a whole hoard of journalists watching on. At least it's good advertising, he thought.

It went without saying, that with an audience to play to Pegasus' theatrics knew no bounds. Yugi wanted to hide when Pegasus began teasing them and conducting his audience. He found it amazing just how different Pegasus and Kaiba were when it came to the media. Journalists all hated Seto Kaiba and were petrified of him, whereas Pegasus was like a charming master puppeteer, who had them all dancing on his strings.

Yugi liked to think that he was somewhere in between the two; polite, but saying as little as possible. But he also found it interesting how, although Pegasus was playfully toying with them, he actually gave them very little, sidestepping any questions with anecdotes and questions of his own.

However, the journalists were like sharks at feeding time, and when the demonstration of Spherium concluded, and the journalists failed to disperse, Pegasus became irritable.

And when they started asking questions about the possibility of him working with Yugi working on a new game, and also demanded to know what he planned to do to improve the relationship between himself and Seto Kaiba, the eccentric CEO looked incredibly miffed. He promptly stood up, clapped his hands together and abruptly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we are done for today. I grow weary, and your endless questions are giving me a migraine. Therefore, I bid you all farewell." He promptly turned and left, going back into the staff only area, leaving Yugi alone with them.

"So, are you gonna tell us what your plans to work with Industrial Illusions are, Mister Muto?"

Yugi shifted his weight from one foot to the other slightly, and then squared his shoulders to face the journalist.

"I hate to disappoint you," he stated, "but I have no plans to work on any projects with Industrial Illusions. My contract is with Kaiba Corporation. However, Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions are cooperating on joint ventures regarding Duel Monsters. So, erm... if you would all excuse me, I have work to do. Nice talking to you all."

Relieved that he had probably handled that well, he got off the podium as quickly as he could and went to find Pegasus.

He found Pegasus sitting, massaging his temples and looking rather annoyed.

"What was all that about Pegasus? I know you and Kaiba don't get along, but you don't just march away and leave me to answer for you!" He snapped, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, Yugi. You really don't understand, do you?"

"No. I don't," he huffed. "So why not tell me?"

Pegasus let out a withering sigh. "I wish you had spoken to me before agreeing to work on designing your game with Kaiba-Boy," he lamented.

Yugi was taken aback. Was that why Pegasus got so upset with the journalists?!

He sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry. I never even considered it to be honest," he admitted. "After I left school, I helped out in the game shop, with the intention of designing my game in my spare time. But I quickly realised that I didn't have the skills needed to actually make my game possible. Kaiba was experimenting with dimensional travel, and Mokuba needed my help while he was gone. I told him what I wanted to do with my game. He said it sounded awesome and suggested I should talk to Kaiba. Anyway, when Kaiba returned, I asked him what he thought about my idea for Spherium, and he liked it; he also had the technology to make it happen. We made a deal and four years later this is the result."

"And of course the result is impressive." Pegasus praised. He then hummed thoughtfully, appearing to cheer up slightly. "I just wish I had known your plans. I might have been able to help make your game even better! You could have been based here, in my New York office, living with your pretty little dancer." His mood seemed to abruptly swing again. "How is the lovely Anzu by the way? A little birdie told me that things have not been going too well between you two. So sad."

Yugi wondered if it was Mai who told him they had split up.

He wondered what else Pegasus knew. He had a lot of show business friends, and Yugi hoped that news of Anzu's bad career moves, or news of the other night had not leaked back to him. But why should they? Pegasus only mingled with the biggest stars, and frequented the most prestigious of venues. He would never be found lurking in a backstreet nightclub and casino that hosted stripper nights.

Yugi scratched the back of his head, trying to keep his expression neutral. For now he would assume that Pegasus did not know anything, "We've had some problems; it's not easy living thousands of miles apart. But I treated her to dinner last night and we got on well. She has agreed to return to Japan with me. "

"Oh! That's wonderful news," Pegasus said, so enthusiastically that it sounded false. He rubbed his hands together with glee. "Do remember to invite me to the wedding."

Yugi laughed awkwardly and blushed. "Well, it's early days. We've not made any plans."

Luckily, Pegasus seemed to sense it was not wise to press further and instead asked, "Will the lovely Anzu be dining with us later?"

"Yes. If you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind! It will be lovely; just like old times –almost." Pegasus suddenly looked a bit guilty, as if he suddenly remembered what 'old times' might mean to Yugi and his friends.

Yugi also noted how his hand came up to touch his cheek, just under where an eye patch now covered the empty socket once occupied by the Millennium Eye. No doubt those memories were as painful for him as they were for Yugi. But at least for Yugi it had been a victorious outcome. For Pegasus it had ended in defeat and humiliation. The cursed Eye had played with Pegasus, twisting his mind. By rights he should have been devoured by the Shadows, but Atem had spared him that fate. It was only later that Yugi discovered how Bakura had torn the eye from Pegasus' eye socket, leaving him for dead.

But, by some miracle Pegasus cheated death, and Yugi found it commendable how he had picked himself up from his complete and utter mental collapse, to re-emerge a new, and enlightened man. For eighteen months, the world had believed him dead; Industrial Illusions was being run by a mysterious benefactor. It was not until Pegasus suddenly re-surfaced that the benefactor was revealed as Pegasus himself, appearing fully recovered and now sporting a golden eye patch underneath that curtain of hair.

But Yugi could still see that underneath the curtain and patch, was a man who still suffered from eternal conflict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist giving a little insight into Pegasus. I know that in the manga, he basically just dies. In Yugioh R, he's talked of as if dead. However, he is still alive in the anime, and makes various cameos in the movie, anime and in GX. So I have tried to explain things, as I see them, to show how he might have been assumed dead for a time, when in fact he was in hiding, recovering from whatever his defeat to Yugi and attack by Bakura did to him.
> 
> Anyway. I would love to hear your thoughts on it too, so please review and I will see you next chapter.
> 
> In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy.


	12. Fist of Fury.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are getting close to the end of this little ficlet now! Two, maybe three to go, depended on whether I get carried away and write more when I edit. If there's anything you would like to see happen, then let me know and I might be able to squeeze it in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: the little French restaurant is something I made up and is, as far as I know, fictional.

By the time Anzu finished work, it was three o'clock. She did not mind, even if the money wasn't that much an extra hour's pay would still come in handy.

Because it had been busier than usual thanks to the springlike weather bringing more people out, she had not had time to type up her resignation, but she had managed to tell her boss and her work colleagues about her plans to go home to Japan. Needless to say, the two people she had come to know best, Kirsten and Liam, were sad to see her leave. News of Tony's killing was all over the local papers, and they were concerned that the reason she had decided to go back to Japan was because she might have witnessed the shooting –oh, little did they know.

"Yes, it is terrible news," Anzu said, trying to sound like it did not really bother her. The papers were saying it was a gangland killing. Thankfully there was no mention herself or Yugi being involved, so Anzu was happy to let them believe the gangland explanation, since that was plausible. They did not need to know any more than that.

"Were you still seeing him?" Kirsten wanted to know.

"Good God no! I decided he wasn't my type after the first couple of dates!" After Kirsten had made it clear that she did not like Tony, Anzu had kept quiet; her private life outside of work was none of their business. She certainly had not told them that she was working as a dancer in Tony's club!

Luckily, they were too busy serving customers to spend too much time chatting about it, and Anzu was relieved just to get on with her day.

The day went quickly, and after agreeing to her manager's request for her to bring in her written notice in the morning, Anzu put on her coat and left the cafe.

It was a pleasant afternoon outside, and Anzu unzipped her coat as she walked with a newfound spring in her step; she really was leaving, and surprisingly she felt no regrets, only relief. Her optimism might have been lost in the mire recently, but at heart she had always been a positive person, and she liked to think that while one door was about to close behind her, a new door was opening. And she would be stepping through it with Yugi.

All that remained now was for her to give notice to her landlord, and tell him she was leaving at the end of the month. Her newfound spring sagged somewhat; dealing with her landlord was not a task she would enjoy.

Steeling herself, she rang the doorbell of his apartment, that also served as his office. Behind the door, she heard some muffled grunting and swearing, before the door was opened just a crack. With the security chain still in place, an unshaven face, with nasty, nicotine stained teeth leered at her through the gap. "Whadya want?" Came the gruff voice.

Anzu cleared her throat and tried not to grimace in disgust, at the smell of tobacco smoke, bad breath and body odour that wafted out at her. "Hello Mister Collins. I, erm. I have come to let you know I will be vacating my apartment on the twenty fifth of March."

He opened the door properly. "You're that hoe from upstairs, ain't ya? The one who's pimp got murdered on my premises. Yeah, well your type ain't welcome anyway," he drawled, nastily.

Anzu seethed. "How dare you!" It was all she could do not to call him a filthy, disgusting drunk, who's premises were not fit to house rats, but she did not want more trouble. And not only had she paid up her rent until the end of the March, he also had her eight hundred dollars deposit, which she wanted back when her tenancy agreement terminated. "I am not a whore. Tony was shot because he came here late at night yelling at me and got into a fight with one of the neighbours."

His piggy little eyes looked her up and down. "Yeah, whatever. And I'll be keeping your deposit to pay for repairs. That bullet, and the cops digging it outta the wall did a lot of damage."

"What?! But I need that money to pay for my flight home! Please, I'm sure it won't cost that much to repair! What about insurance?"

"Insurance don't cover me for gangsters shooting it out in my building." He scratched at his crotch and then clutched his loins through the material of his filthy trousers, overhanging beer belly bouncing repulsively. "But if ya want your deposit back, there is one thing you can do for me, if ya get my drift?" He leered at her in a perverted way, showing plaque encrusted, rotting teeth.

Anzu nearly vomited. "Ugh!" She gagged. "In your dreams," she snarled. "You can keep the dammed deposit, for now. I will be consulting my solicitor." Not that she had a solicitor, but at least it sounded like a good threat.

"Yeah, Miss. You do that. Now if you'll excuse me, I wanna get back to the game." Over his shoulder, Anzu could see the TV set on the wall playing a baseball game. He explained, "I'll put the documents for you to sign to terminate your rental agreement through your door."

"Yeah, Mister. You do that," Anzu bit back. What a horrible man, she thought as she went up to her apartment.

Reaching her door, she inspected the cracked, chipped plaster round the edge of her door where the bullet had ended up after it had passed through Tony. Keeping her eight hundred dollar deposit for a repair she was pretty sure he would not bother to make, was a liberty; she could probably buy a tub of ready mix plaster for a few dollars and patch the wall up herself.

Looking at the interior of the building, the paintwork and plaster was full of damage already. In fact, the whole apartment block was a health hazard; lifts not working, drugs being dealt and taken in the downstairs hallway, a fire escape that broke regulations because the door was locked. Anzu could probably report her landlord for the fire escape alone. However, she did not really want any more trouble for herself and wondered if she would do best just to suck it up and go quietly.

Perhaps she would speak to Yugi, and see what he thinks she should do.

Once inside her flat, Anzu took a shower and then changed into a pair of stretch jeans, a fitted tee-shirt and a pink hooded top. She then made herself a mug of green tea and sat down to rest her weary feet. She would miss the people she worked with at the cafe, but she definitely would not miss being on her feet for seven hours straight, without a proper break!

Sipping at her tea, she wondered how Yugi was getting on with Pegasus there. She had not heard from him since their exchange this morning, and decided to send him a message to see what time he wanted her to come and meet him. She had been toying with the thought for a couple of hours now, but wondered if it would be okay if she just turned up at the conference centre. She would love to see him demonstrating his game, but had forgotten to ask him if it was invite only for corporate clients and V.I.P guests, or if anyone could attend.

:::::::::::

Yugi was with Pegasus, discussing the technology that had gone into the new duel monster holograms, when his phone screen lit up as it started vibrating on the desk. "It's Anzu. Do you mind?" He said, reaching for it. "She probably wants to know what time we're meeting tonight."

With a bright smile, Pegasus nodded. "Go ahead. Tell her either six fifteen here. Or six thirty at my favourite French restaurant, " when he spoke of the restaurant, his voice reverted to its usual musical cadence, underlining his love for the place.

It made Yugi smile; he had heard all about the small, family run restaurant that Pegasus seemed to find, in his own words, 'an adorable little place'.

Giving a a quick nod of acknowledgement, he stood and walked away as he answered the call so that Pegasus could not eves-drop on their conversation. "Hey Anzu!"

"Hey Yugi. You sound cheerful. I'm guessing Pegasus is not being too much of a pain?"

Yugi laughed. "Yeah. He's being a pain alright. But he seems to have calmed down a bit and we've been discussing the technology that he has co-designed with Kaiba. It's pretty impressive what it took to develop such ground breaking holographic technology. I didn't know it, as I thought it was tried and tested technology already in use. But, apparently, Kaiba used Spherium as the the prototype, meaning my game was the first to actually use it, before the Duel Monsters cards even!" He sounded excited and Anzu found his enthusiasm infectious, giving her a warm feeling in her chest. But she also wondered...

"Wasn't it a bit risky to use something new and untested on you game Yugi? I mean, if it hadn't worked properly..."

"Hey!" Yugi interrupted. "You should know Kaiba Corp. products never fail," he chuckled. "Kaiba says that a lot. So I'm pretty sure he would never use anything unless he was sure it would be good; his reputation would be at stake."

"Yeah," she shrugged to herself. "I suppose so." Deciding to change the subject, she said, "Anyway, Yugi. I was thinking.. Is the convention open to the public? Or is it just a corporate thing?"

"It's open. Only the first day was corporate and guests only. The last two days have been open to the public. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking of coming along. I would love to see you demonstrate your game first hand. So, I was wondering if you could get me in, you know, as your guest?"

Yugi blanched slightly and looked over his shoulder at where the two technicians, tactless Martin, and the slightly less tactless Dave, were crawling about underneath a mound of cables trying to find and repair a fault with the lighting gantry that illuminated the big letters; KC. Yugi had wondered if Pegasus might have sabotaged it on purpose so that only the C lit up.

"Yugi? You still there?" Anzu asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Y.. Yeah. I'm.. What did you say again?" He quickly added, "Sorry! Someone was trying to distract me."

"I asked if I could come to the convention for the rest of the afternoon, as your guest. I would love to see you demonstrate Spherium. I'm afraid I missed the demo you did with Kaiba."

"Oh! Right, okay. It.. erm, might not be a good idea." He grimaced as he spoke. He felt awful trying to put her off, but after the things Martin and Dave had said about her...

Yugi heard her clearing her throat. "Why? I thought you said it was open to the public?" She sounded disappointed.

"It's not that. I'm quite busy. I might not be able to spend time with you." He felt mean making excuses.

"That's okay. I wouldn't intrude on you while you're working. I would quite like to wander round and see what other games and stuff there are."

"Right," he said slowly, trying to find an excuse that would keep her away from the Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions trade stands. "It might not actually be a good idea for you to come and see me though." Even as he spoke, he knew he sounded all wrong.

And sure enough, she saw through him. "What's the problem Yugi? Are you hiding something?"

"No!" He blurted so loudly that Martin peered out from behind his monitor at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. The bastard knew Yugi was talking to her.

Moving away, Yugi spoke much more quietly. "It's just... There's no easy way to say this, so I don't want you to get upset, right? But some of the guys that were there the other night, at the club. Well, they said some stuff. It was disrespectful towards you."

He almost hear her seething on the other end of the line. He heard her huff loudly. "Then perhaps I should come anyway. I can give them a piece of my mind," she snarled.

"Please Anzu. I don't want any more trouble. I already had to deal with them yesterday. They're jerks and they were saying some pretty digusting things –worse even than sort of things Jonouchi used to say at the start of high school."

He heard her sigh. "Okay. If it makes it awkward for you, I won't come. But where should I meet you?" She sounded disappointed and her words were clipped. Quite rightly so, he thought, feeling a tad guilty.

A moment later, he suddenly had a change of heart.

Screw Martin and Dave. If Anzu wanted to come, then she should. He was not going to be intimidated into stopping her by those two jerks. "I've changed my mind Anzu. If you want to come, then it's fine by me. If they started anything, I will openly support you while you give them a piece of your mind." He said it with such passion and resolve, that it made Anzu smile.

"No. it's okay Yugi. I don't want to cause any embarrassment on your last day there. It will just upset us both for this evening. And anyway, I don't want Pegasus knowing what I have been doing for a living." She paused. "He doesn't know, right?"

"I don't think he does. I certainly haven't told him. And he hasn't really spoken to anyone other then myself and Caroline, the saleswoman."

"Where shall I meet you then?"

As Yugi told her the name and address of the French restaurant they were going to, she frowned. "Yeah. I know where it is." It was just two doors along from the family run Italian restaurant owned by Tony's uncle. He had taken her there twice, and just seeing it would likely bring back bittersweet memories. But she did not want to say anything to Yugi about it. It was her gremlin to deal with, and deal with it she would.

::::::::::::

Unbeknown to Yugi, Pegasus had booked the restaurant exclusively, for all of the staff who had been working on his stand at the convention. And when he gathered the staff round at five o'clock to announce they were all invited to dine with him at six thirty, Yugi blanched.

Of course, it was a freebie and most of the staff accepted, including Martin and Dave, who were already talking about drinking as much as they could because Pegasus was paying. Pegasus just laughed at their stupidity –free drinks would be limited anyway.

Yugi snarled at the thought of Martin being there, lip curling in distaste.

When everyone dispersed back to their work stations, Yugi asked Pegasus, "I thought it was just you me and Anzu?" He was anxious about what the two jerks might say when they saw Anzu.

"Oh, Yugi. Are you jealous about having to share me with others?" He joked. Yugi pulled a vomit face.

"No, of course not! I just wasn't expecting a big party."

"I like to reward my workers now and again for their hard work. I find it's good for staff morale, and keeps them enthusiastic and loyal." Whatever people thought of Pegasus as a person, he could not be accused of being a bad employer.

Yugi shrugged. "I guess." He wondered if he should warn Anzu.

::::::::::::

Anzu's phone was on charge, so she did not see the message from Yugi until she was changed into her dress and ready to leave. Oh! Well, it was too late to worry about the two guy's Yugi thought might say or try something to humiliate her. She was quite prepared to deal with those two morons, and had a string of rehearsed comebacks if need be.

She was worried about Yugi being embarrassed in front of Pegasus though. Pulling on her burgundy faux-fur coat, she huffed; Yugi would just have to deal with it.

The springlike day had turned into a foggy, cold early evening. And Anzu was glad of her thick coat as she made her way to the Subway to catch a tube train to the restaurant.

When she arrived at six twenty five, everyone was already there. The warmth hit her as she entered the restaurant. People she assumed were Yugi's co-workers, were standing around inside, chatting merrily, drinks in hand. The smell of garlic and herbs and delicious aromas from whatever they were cooking in the kitchen also greeted her.

She scanned the dimly lit interior for Yugi. Thankfully, his unique hair made him easy to spot; he was standing talking to two women. He looked to be really enjoying whatever conversation he was having with one of them, and for some reason she felt a hint of envy bubble up in her chest.

Telling herself off for being so stupid, she made her way towards him, but was accosted by a leering fool with poor fashion taste, dark hair that was thinning on top, and sporting a scruffily trimmed beard. "Hey babe. Have you come to entertain me?" Just for good measure, he stood too close and then thrust his pelvis towards her, gyrating his hips in what he thought was a seductive fashion.

Two perverts in one day was too much! Anzu glared at him like he was a turd. "Ugh! Who on earth do you think you are? John Trevolting?"

Martin leered at her. "Nah.. I'm the guy you're gonna dance for, if you know what I mean?" Just for good measure, he added a wink. "How much do you charge for extras?" He cackled at his own joke.

Anzu felt like kicking him where it would hurt. "Back off jerk! Before you end up singing soprano."

Meanwhile, Yugi had noticed and came storming over. He placed a protective arm around Anzu as he confronted Martin, "Like she says, Martin. Back off." Everyone was looking in their direction now, all appalled at Martin's crass behaviour.

Martin laughed and slopped his beer. "Oops! Are you tryin' to keep her all for yourself now Yugi? As far as I'm concerned she's fair game."

What happened next, surprised Anzu so much that she let out a yelp.

In one fluid motion, Yugi balled his fist and hit Martin square on the side of the jaw, sending him sprawling onto his backside. "I said, back off!" His stance was threatening as he stood over Martin, and, not that she condoned violence, but Anzu was secretly very proud of him.

"Ow!" Martin rubbed his already swelling jaw. "The fuck dude! What was that for? I was only kidding."

"Yeah, well it wasn't funny," Yugi said, shaking his throbbing fist. He had never hit someone like that and his hand hurt. "I won't let you insult any woman like that, especially NOT my girlfriend."

"Oh, Yugi!" Anzu said emotionally, as she gripped his arm. "Please? That's enough. I'm grateful you're sticking up for me, but I don't want you guys fighting."

Martin was holding his face, his temper was rising and he was trying to get up to retaliate. But Dave grabbed him "You deserved that, you idiot," Dave said, "You're bang out of order."

"Yeah, well punching me for making a joke ain't called for either," Martin grumbled, trying to shove Dave to get to Yugi, who was still standing like a guard dog ready to pounce.

"Yugi?" Anzu put her arms around his waist to try and calm him, but was shocked at how tense he felt.

Having observed the incident unfold, Pegasus now approached. He glared frostily at Martin. "A joke that was not that funny, I hasten to add."

However, when Pegasus turned to Yugi, his face broke out into a gleeful smile, as though he had enjoyed the entertainment. "That was quite a punch you threw, Yugi! I never imagined you to have such fists of fury, " he said, sounding as proud as Jonouchi would have if he had witnessed Yugi punch someone.

He patted Yugi on the back, before turning back to Martin, with a now thunderous expression. "I will not tolerate spiteful fools who abuse and insult women. Get out out of my party. You are no longer welcome."

Martin opened his mouth to argue, but Dave stopped him. "Come on dude? Do as he says, please?" Dave turned to Pegasus. "I don't think he'll apologise, so I apologise for him."

"I ain't sorry! He's the one that threw a punch." Martin pointed at Yugi. "If they throw me out they gotta chuck him out too."

Pegasus rolled his eye. "Yugi Muto and the lovely Miss Anzu Mazaki are dear friends of mine. You insulted them and are now making me very angry." He snapped his fingers and a burly bodyguard appeared. "Throw him out."

Martin held up his hands. "Okay! Okay! I'll go of my own accord." He threw Yugi a nasty look, for which Yugi did not give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Your employment is also terminated," Pegasus said, blandly.

"What? You can't sack me!" He looked around for some support, but there was none.

"Oh! But I can," Pegasus sang, frivolous notes of superiority in his voice.

Even Dave had decided he had had enough, and shoved Martin's jacket at him. "Here. You'll need this. It's cold outside."

"But!" Martin spluttered. "If I'm leaving, you are too! We're buddies, and buddies stick together, remember?"

"NO. We're work colleagues who got on well. But not any more. Not after you overstepped the line and insulted a woman to her face."

With a huff, a dejected Martin stormed out of the restaurant, to the sound of cheering behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well done Yugi! We all know he's not a violent man, but he's a man who will fight to protect people he loves. He's been pushed to his limits quite a bit in this and this time he snapped. Anzu may not like him behaving more like Jonouchi would, but appreciates that he is protective of her.  
> Please review.


	13. Pegasus Makes an Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pegasus throws a party to celebrate a successful convention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more Pegasus in this chapter. He's so theatrical, I always find him one of those fun characters to write. But there is a vulnerable, lost side to him, which I touch on a little here. I know in the manga he is assumed to have died when Bakura attacked him and took his Eye, but it is open to interpretation and his fate was never really discussed in the rest of the story. And since the anime had him alive and well, I like to think he was not as dead as was thought.

The excited chatter about Yugi punching Martin, followed by Martin's subsequent humiliation of being sacked and sent packing, continued for some time until Pegasus clapped his hands together and told everyone that the show was over, suggesting they should get back to enjoying the evening while talking about something else.

He turned to Yugi and Anzu. "I do not condone violence, Yugi, but I feel I should congratulate you for hitting that dreadful man. I'm truly mortified that my company even employed him!" Tutting, he shook his head in dismay, "Speaking to women so offensively is unforgivable."

"Yeah. He wasn't even a good engineer," Yugi said, "He spent most of his time making dirty comments about women who were at the convention. I didn't like him." That was as much as he was prepared to say. Pegasus had drawn his own conclusions about Martin and did not need to know any more about why he had harassed Anzu.

"Oh, dear," Pegasus frowned. "Well, enough about that Neanderthal. I want to talk to the lovely Miss Mazaki. It must be... ooh, several years since we last met?"

Anzu flushed slightly. "It's been five, at least, I think. And," she added, with a hint of teasing, "it's okay to call me Anzu."

"Five years!" Pegasus said, raising an eyebrow. "And so much water under the bridge! How is New York treating you? I understand you are a professional dancer now?" He sighed, letting out a long, wistful sigh. "My Cecelia loved to dance."

Anzu caught Yugi's eye and they shared a look. Anzu knew that hearing Pegasus talk about his deceased wife made Yugi feel awkward. Partly because of what Pegasus had done in order to get his hands on the Millennium Puzzle, and partly because, when he defeated Pegasus he had taken away any hope Pegasus had about seeing her again. Although, he was fairly certain the Eye had lied to Pegasus in order to manipulate him into obtaining the other Millennium Items.

Quickly sensing the need to get off the subject of Cecelia, Anzu cleared her throat. "I graduated with a first class honours degree. But despite that I've still been unable to find work as a dancer. I love living in New York, but I'm finding it a struggle financially, so I'm going home to Japan."

Pegasus snapped out of his reminiscing about Cecelia, and said sympathetically, "Oh, that's a shame. But at least you tried. And who knows what the future holds for you both as a couple. I was so sad when I heard you two had separated –I held such high hopes for you both once Pharaoh-Boy was out of the equation," he said, irritatingly. "Anyway. Enough lamentation. You must need a drink after that obnoxious technician insulted you."

Yugi and Anzu shared another look. Pegasus had a knack of touching on exposed nerves. Was he implying that Atem was somehow in the way? If so, it wasn't true. The muscles in Yugi's jaw twitching, and Anzu wondered if he still felt as though he was her second choice –the consolation prize!

Eager to show him that he was not second best, she threaded her arm around Yugi's arm and leaned against him. "I don't think Atem was ever in the equation. It was always Yugi," she reiterated.

Yugi placed his free hand over her hand that was clutching his arm. "I hope so," he said quietly, through gritted teeth.

Anzu shot him a pointed frown. What was that supposed to imply?

"Who would like a drink?" Pegasus said suddenly, with too much cheer in his voice. He was sensing the slight tension in the young couple and feared he was the cause.

"Yes please?" Anzu said enthusiastically, releasing her hold on Yugi. He reacted by taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, winking at her to show he was not irritated with her.

Pegasus quickly attracted the attention of the two very attentive waitresses, who promptly appeared with a bottle of Dom Perignon 2008 and a tray of champagne flutes.

"A glass for each of us if you please?" Pegasus said. He could be oh so charming when he wanted, Anzu noted.

However, given what happened in the past, Pegasus still set her on edge slightly. But this was supposed to be a nice evening out, and it had already almost been ruined by that horrible Martin insulting her the moment she arrived, so she was willing to overlook Pegasus' past atrocities.

Accepting the glass of champagne, she thanked Pegasus for hosting the evening in such a lovely restaurant. Thankfully the Italian place that Tony had taken her to being close by was not bothering her at all.

"Ah, yes. I always come here when I'm in New York. Sacha and Maria Chavenet are such wonderful people," Pegasus cooed. Both Anzu and Yugi assumed they were the owners of La Serene.

Taking a sip of her champagne, Anzu smiled. "Mmm, this is very nice champagne."

Yugi followed her lead and took a small sip too. He nodded his agreement. "It's not bad," he casually agreed. Unfortunately, Pegasus appeared to be mortified by his comment.

"Not bad?! I will admit there are finer vintages, but this fine vintage cost one hundred and eighty dollars a bottle. And you call it 'not bad'!"

It was hard for Yugi to tell if he was teasing or was actually seriously offended. Erring on caution, he grimaced sheepishly. "By not bad, I mean it's nice."

Anzu found that funny, and started giggling. "Only one hundred and eighty dollars?" She teased. "I Imagine that might be cheap plonk for a man of your means, Pegasus?" She winked. Pegasus seemed to feed off the interaction and laughed heartily.

"Oh! Anzu my dear. You know me so well. But I would say it is about right for a party such as this. Don't you agree?"

"I guess," she answered, "But I would imagine that most of the people here, including me, probably buy their sparking wine from the bargain shelf at Walmart!" She giggled. "So I would say it's probably too expensive for a party like this!"

"How observant you are." Pegasus cooed. "But it's never too late to introduce people to the finer things in life."

"Well I for one love the finer things," she replied.

Yugi felt his top lip quiver as it fought to curl into a snarl. Was Pegasus flirting with Anzu? And, even worse, was she flirting back?

::::::::::::

The rest of the evening was spent dining, drinking and chatting. Of course, in a room full of people involved in the technology and gaming industry, the general chatter tended to revolve around technology, such as the latest Virtual reality simulators and the new Duel Monsters holograms, as well as other popular games.

Wearily, Anzu sat down to rest her feet for a bit, happy to take a back seat while Yugi stood chatting to a couple of colleagues, both of whom wanted to how he came up with the concept for Spherium, and of course, what his plans were to add to the game in the future.

Seeing the big smile on Yugi's face as he chatted enthusiastically, made Anzu feel warm and fuzzy – or was that too much champagne and wine? A bit of both, she concluded, taking a sip of her Chardonnay. Probably best to make this glass her last – she didn't want to end up drunk.

As she sat at the table, admiring Yugi's social skills, Pegasus joined her.

"I hope all the talk of games and technology isn't boring you to death my dear?" He said cheerily.

"No," she smiled lazily. "I've had a busy day so it's nice to sit down."

Pegasus smiled back, and chuckled. "Shall I let you into a little secret? I find all this talk of game technology boring. I would much rather talk about the arts."

"Oh!" Anzu looked at him with a surprised expression. "I thought you loved games?"

"I do. But I love art more," he confessed, smiling. "What about you? Do you like art? As a dancer I assume you must; dance is an art-form in itself, is it not?"

"Yes," she agreed, "I suppose it is." She had never really considered that dancing was art –she danced because she wanted to. "But I enjoy games too," she clarified. "I loved supporting Yugi and Jonouchi when they duelled. I miss those days sometimes."

"Yes," Pegasus said, thoughtfully. "Although, I'm sure there are some parts you would rather forget." He sighed, as though he were full of regret. "I always wanted to apologise for what I did, but... well, pride and all that, so I never did. And now it feels like something that's best not mentioned. But deep down the scars are still there." He placed his hand over the patch where the Millennium Eye had once been. Anzi winced.

"Did... did it hurt, when... Bakura took it?" She wasn't sure if she should be asking, but the alcohol made her brave and she had always wanted to know more about the item that enabled Pegasus to read minds and steal souls.

"Not as much as it hurt when Cecelia was taken from me," he admitted ruefully. "I was a desperate man and the Millennium Eye offered me hope. But it came at a high price, as you and your friends discovered when I took Yugi's grandfather's soul; I was prepared to do anything to see my Cecelia once again, and did not consider the harm I was doing to others."

Anzu gave him a knowing nod and patted his hand, which had tensed into a fist as he rested his forearm on the table. He had indeed paid a high price for his grief. "Well, I have forgiven you. And my friends have too. We were all really sorry you didn't get to see your wife again. Yugi said that the Millennium items contained a darkness, that was capable of manipulating people who were either greedy, weak, or too vulnerable to be able to control that darkness."

"Yes. I was vulnerable, I suppose. My soul was weak as well. I was a weak man. Too weak to fight the darkness in my heart. Only people with powerful souls, such as Yugi, should ever have been allowed to wield the items."

Anzu smiled proudly. "Yugi never appeared to be that strong on the surface. But he always had a good, strong heart and soul. He has an inner resolve and strength that sets him apart from other people."

Pegasus looked over to where Yugi was standing, talking and laughing. "Like the Pharaoh-Boy, he has a strength that's hard to ignore. But Yugi is not a violent man, so I was quite surprised he threw that punch earlier."

"He's like Atem in so many ways, and yet still so different," Anzu said. "Am I bad for being proud of him for punching that horrible Martin?"

"Not at all, my dear, not at all." Just then, Yugi came over, all smiles. "Ah, talk of the devil," Pegasus teased.

Yugi's smile faded as he stared pointedly between them. "What are you two up to, sitting together?" He sounded jealous. "Are you talking about me behind my back?"

"You have such a suspicious mind Yugi," Pegasus teased. "We were actually singing your praises."

Yugi scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling stupid for thinking Anzu would even be interested in Pegasus in that way. "I guess that's okay then," he chuckled awkwardly, and sat down next to Anzu.

"We were talking about the Millennium Items," Anzu said, placing her hand on Yugi's thigh, just above the knee, gently massaging the muscle. "I also said I was proud of you for punching Martin," she admitted.

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her with a slight smirk. "Are you really proud of me for punching him?" He said, ego swelling. "I thought you didn't like guys fighting?"

"I don't, generally. However... I'm willing to make an exception because he was a sleaze," she said, tightly. "But," she added, in a scolding tone, "don't you start getting ideas that it's okay to punch people."

"Don't worry, I don't intend to," he laughed. "I nearly broke my hand throwing that punch."

"Anyway, now that you are both here," Pegasus interrupted, changing the subject. "I didn't say anything earlier, because I didn't want to make any false promises. But I have just been speaking to a friend who runs an entertainment agency based in Las Vegas."

His tone was suddenly quite serious and business-like, which got Yugi and Anzu's attention; both sat up straight, listening curiously to what he was about to say.

Pegasus continued, "He is currently recruiting dancers and actors for an upcoming show at Caesars Palace. I have put in a good word for you and he seemed very interested and would like to invite you for an interview. I told him I would get back to him with your answer. A very exciting opportunity, don't you think?" He sounded very enthusiastic about the offer.

Anzu was completely stunned for a moment, and had no idea what to say in response. "Yes. I suppose.. I mean, I don't know..." She looked at Yugi for guidance. Her mind was in turmoil. On one hand, she was excited, but on the other she had reservations about it. Vegas was somewhere she had never been. And.. wasn't it in the middle of a desert, like Egypt?

If she passed the interview and was accepted, then it would mean being away from Yugi again. How would that impact on their efforts to get back together again?

Meanwhile, Yugi watched her wrestling with herself. "It's a great opportunity. I think you should go for it," he reassured.

She grimaced at him. "I dunno. I do want to, but I also don't know if it's the right thing to do. What about us?" Her mind was already made up.

However, before she had chance to decline, and fearing she was going to pass up on the opportunity, Yugi said, "You can't turn it down Anzu! You have to at least go for the interview."

"I know, but..." She scrutinised his features for any hints that deep down he was hurt by the idea of her moving to Las Vegas, but he was giving nothing away.

He squeezed her hand lovingly. "It's okay Anzu. I know you said you would come home to Japan, but this is too good to pass up. If you want to go for it, I won't stop you. In fact, I will support you all the way." He sounded reassuring and his voice was full of that typical Yugi resolve. But Anzu still had her doubts; if they were parted again, it could spell the end for them as a couple.

Sensing that they needed time to talk things through, Pegasus interjected. "There's no hurry. So why don't you sleep on it and give me your answer tomorrow?" He looked between them. They both seemed to be in agreement with that idea so he clapped his hands together. "That settles it then. I will see you at the office tomorrow anyway Yugi. Perhaps the three of us can meet over lunch to discuss your decision Anzu. Agreed?"

Anzu looked at Yugi, and he nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan," he agreed. "You okay with that?" He asked Anzu.

"Well, I'm actually working tomorrow afternoon. But why don't you both come and have lunch at the cafe? I'm sure they'll let me take a quick break to talk to you."

Yugi nodded. "I'm sure we can do that." He looked at Pegasus. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is!" He beamed, rubbing his hands together. "Anyway. I was up at five this morning, so I will take my leave now. I have to pay the bill, and then I am going to get my much needed beauty sleep." He stood up. "See you tomorrow!"

Yugi and Anzu bid him farewell, and then Yugi turned to Anzu. "Most people seem to be leaving now. Do you want to leave too?"

Anzu checked the time. It was not quite nine o'clock, but she was feeling tired after a long day. "Yes. I'm happy to leave," she nodded. They got their coats, and after another fifteen minutes of everyone saying their goodbyes, they finally made it outside.

Looking at her expectantly, Yugi took her hand. "Do you..." he began, but Anzu interrupted.

"I guess this is where we both go in different directions," she blurted. The way he was looking at her; she had the distinct feeling that he wanted to do more than just sleep.

"Actually," he said, the husky tone of his voice confirming her suspicions. "I was going to say, do you want to come back to the hotel with me?"

"Well... I don't have my night things." Was she playing hard to get?

"But you left your nightdress in my room this morning. And you forgot your face cream." He was not giving up.

"Did I?!" She blushed "Oh!" Crap! That's right, she did. However, she still had another comeback. "But not my toothbrush," she added, with a raised eyebrow.

He shrugged. "The hotel supplied a complimentary one in the room, which I haven't used."

"I guess I have no choice, huh?"

"Nope!" He said, smirking triumphantly, leading her towards a line of waiting taxis.

She told herself to breath. She was in control. This was Yugi she was with, not Tony; she could say no if she wanted.

::::::::::::

Arriving back at Yugi's hotel suite, they kicked off their shoes and hung their coats on the hooks provided.

Anzu shivered as she was waited to see if would make an advance on her. She loved him and wanted him, she really did, but she also felt a pang of anxiety. Why? Yugi was caring, loving, gentle, considerate. He was not rough, selfish Tony, who would pound her until it hurt.

He touched her face and smile. She tried to smile back but felt herself flinch under his gaze.

However, after a long moment, he did not do anything more. Instead, he excused himself and went into the bathroom. Was her anxiety showing that much that he was nervous of making a move?

Chewing on her thumb, she went and sat down on the sofa to look at the view over night time Manhattan. The view did nothing for her this evening.

This felt so weird.

What was taking him so long?

After a while, she heard him moving around in the bedroom.

She was about to go and see what he was doing, and perhaps try to apologise and make things okay, when he called out to her. "You can use the bathroom now Anzu, if you want?"

She went into the bedroom to find him changing into his pyjamas. He was wearing only his boxers, and paused in his undressing when she entered.

"I'm sorry about running away like that," he said. "I.. erm.. was desperate for a pee."

She let out a tight little laugh. "No worries."

They looked at each other, both searching for something else to say. Anzu tried to smile, but the sight of him made her blush, so she turned away and dashed to the bathroom, hoping he had not seen her beet red face.

Smiling apprehensively, he watched her go. He had felt so confident when he asked her back here. In his head, he had pictured a scene from the movies, where the moment the door to their hotel room closed, they would throw themselves at each other in a passionate clinch; grasping wantonly at one another as they pulled their clothes off hastily in their eagerness to make love.

Instead, she had looked so tense that he wondered what was going on with her. Had he really misread her that badly? Had he frightened her?

And now he did not know what he was supposed to do to rectify the mess he had made of this. Wait for her to make a move, he supposed.

::::::::::::

Closing the bathroom door, Anzu leaned against it and squeezed her eyes closed against her tears.

Had Tony left her so traumatised that she could not even let Yugi -the man she loved- make love to her?

Swallowing down the lump in her chest, she made her way to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Yugi had left the hotel's complimentary toothbrush out for her and it warmed her heart for a moment.

What was she going to do? It was understandable that he wanted to make love. They had been getting on well and he was trying to cement their relationship by showing her how much he loved her. And should she be offered that job in Las Vegas and decide to accept, he wanted to ensure they were bonded as a couple.

But she had turned into a human iceberg.

No wonder he had run to the bathroom to get away from her.

He was probably thinking she was being frigid towards him because she no longer liked him that way. After all, it was two years since they had last had sex together.

There was only one way they could move forward, and that was for her to be honest with him.

Steeling herself, she prepared to face him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep! Still more angst to put them through. But don't fear, next chapter they talk. Hopefully talking will help.


	14. Talk To Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: I don't want to catch anyone who might find it offensive or upsetting, so please be aware that there is mention of drug rape in this chapter.

Emerging from the bathroom, Anzu saw that Yugi was already in bed. He was curled on his side facing away from her and she wondered if he was feeling hurt and confused by her rejection of him.

But she had not rejected him, had she? Not outright. She had merely been afraid of intimacy and involuntarily tensed up. She had not intended for that to happen, it just had and she couldn't control it.

As she approached the bed, she saw that he had placed her neatly folded night dress on the pillow for her and her heart did a flip. She felt guilty; she was so lucky to have a man as kind and thoughtful as Yugi, who was willing to put himself out for her. It did not occur to her that it was actually the maid who had put it there this morning, and not Yugi.

Anzu sat down on the edge of the bed and started to undress.

Yugi opened his eyes and watched her. The way she nervously slid her dress down and unhooked her bra, all with her back to him, spoke of a woman who was terrified of men.

What had that bastard Tony done to her? If he were not already dead, Yugi was sure he could kill him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, gently.

Jaw tensing, she snapped, "Yes! I'm fine!" She knew it was a lie; why did she keep pretending nothing was wrong? She was lying to herself, lying to Yugi. She pulled her nightdress over her head.

Yugi watched it fall into place, covering her soft, creamy skin, concealing her beautiful body from his view. He pushed himself up to sitting so that he could reach over and place a hand on her back between her shoulder blades.

He felt her tense up, but she did not flinch away, so he got onto his knees behind her, and began massaging her tense shoulders. He felt her relax a little, but she was still tense.

"Are you sure you're fine?" He pressed.

This time she shook her head, and said emotionally, "I don't know. I hoped I was, but maybe I'm not. I thought I didn't care that Tony's dead. I thought it didn't upset me, but it does upset me and I don't know why it does, because I hate him. I hate him for being a bastard and using women like playthings." Her shoulders hitched as she suppressed a sob. But her tears were dry; there were none left to cry.

Yugi wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close, he kissed the top of her head. "Hey! You don't have to be afraid around me, I'm not like that bastard." Deep down, it hurt him to think that, even though they were long time friends, she was nervous of him.

She twisted round to press her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know you're not, and I do trust you, honestly I do. But when we came back here and I saw the look in your eyes and thought about what was about to happen between us, I just froze with fear."

He held her tightly, and said soothingly, "I understand." He did not really understand, but he was here for her no matter what.

"I don't think you do," she said bitterly. "He drugged and raped me Yugi." There, she had finally said it; she was not sure if that was how she intended for it to come out, but there was no nice way to tell him she had been sexually assaulted.

For a moment, a silence hung in the air, so thickly you could cut it with a knife. Anzu felt his heart beat harder as the muscles in his chest bunched against her face, and in his arms became taut around her shoulders.

The anger Yugi was feeling towards Tony was hard to suppress. His skin prickled like shards of ice piercing the skin and he was trying hard not to shake with rage. For Anzu's sake, he needed to remain calm and rational, just like he would if this was a duel of life and death.

Even though he had been expecting her to confess to something like that, he was still not prepared for the pain of hearing those words spoken. He swallowed thickly, and said shakily, "I.. I wondered if it was something like that, when you didn't want to talk about it to the police."

She let out a shuddering sigh. "I thought I could deal with it on my own. I was doing well too. But... I just feel so angry and stupid for letting it happen. And now I can't even let you near me. I'm so messed up." She laughed bitterly and eased herself out of his embrace so that she could slide into bed. He moved back a bit to allow her to do so. She pulled the covers over herself protectively, and leaned back against the headboard, clutching the covers over her chest, with her knees pulled up towards the ceiling, feet resting on the mattress.

"You're not messed up," he said reassuringly, clambering under the covers to sit next to her in a similar position, their shoulders touching. "You had a terrible experience and it's left you traumatised." He reached out and took one of her hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged, unsure if he could stand to hear her sordid tale. "Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice. Don't feel you have to talk if you're not ready."

"No. I have to get this of my chest. I've kept that awful night to myself for so long and it's slowly killing my soul. If I don't deal with it, it will kill any chance our relationship has too."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Steeling herself, she began, "I might have told you some if this already, but, when I first met him he he was really nice. He would come into the cafe, order coffee and sit by the window, watching the shop opposite. Thinking back, I think he was actually watching someone. But that's another story. Anyway, when I served him he would chat and be friendly –I warmed to him quickly. He asked me about myself. I told him I had graduated from Juillliard, and complained that I couldn't get a job as a dancer –I even told him my stupid dreams of Broadway fame. He told me he owned a club that hosted shows and that he knew a lot of people in show business. He asked me out to dinner so that we could discuss him helping me find work. He took me to a nice restaurant and was a charming man. When he promised to get me into a show, I really did think he was genuine. But it was all a lie and the show he had in mind was the strip show his club hosted. Once he had what he wanted things changed. He would turn up at my flat when he wanted sex, and I wasn't in a position to say no. If he was drunk, or had been taking drugs, he was selfish and not very gentle. So I told him I would keep working at the club, as I needed the money, but I wanted to cool off our relationship. He just shrugged and didn't seem to care." She took another deep breath and exhaled with a shudder. The next part was hard to talk about.

Yugi seemed to sense this and put an arm around her, hugging her reassuringly. "It's okay. You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"No. I'm okay." She continued, "One night, after I finished my act, I went to the private lounge, where the staff can go to relax after shows and not be pestered by punters. He came over to me, all smiles and was really friendly. He asked me if I wanted a drink, and I said I would have a lager shandy, which is half lager, half lemonade. He went to the bar and got my drink, and then sat down in the chair opposite me with his glass of whisky. I thought nothing of it and drank my drink. I was thirsty after dancing and drank it fairly quickly. I started to feel a bit dizzy, but it wasn't until I tried to stand that my legs just buckled. After that, I don't remember much. I do remember him holding me up and pretending to be all concerned. I remember him carrying me from his car and coming into my flat with me. I vaguely remember trying to fight him off, but he slapped me hard enough to leave a bruise on my cheek. I was crying, I think. Then I woke up in the morning. My face hurt and I was sore," she coughed hesitantly, "from where I must have tried to resist and he.. forced me. I wanted to die. He was in the kitchen cooking breakfast like nothing had happened, which made me angry. I plucked up the courage to tell him to leave, and he did. I had no one I could call and I felt so awful that I sobbed in the shower for ages afterwards. He treated me like I was a common piece of trash, Yugi, and I just let him. I hate myself for it." She started to cry in Yugi's arms while he tried to soothe her. How could someone be so cruel as to hurt her like that?

He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back his own tears. "Hush... It's okay. I've got you."

"I thought you would hate me if you knew how stupid I've been," she mumbled croakily against his shoulder. He stroked her hair.

"You haven't been stupid. And," he said earnestly, "you know I could never hate you. But I do think you should tell the police; they have specialists there who understand what you're going through, and can help you with the anxiety you've been suffering. I'll come with you if you would like?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with a stubborn pout. "No!" She shook her head vehemently, "I don't need help; not now I have you. Tony's dead and I want to forget about what he did and finally be me old self again."

Although he would support her decision, he was a little concerned by her reluctance to seek professional help. "Are you sure? I'll do what I can to help, but they are trained to help people who have been victims of sexual assault." He was not sure he would be any good at offering the right sort of support if she needed it.

She waved him away, "Nah, I'll be fine." Eager to move on, she said, "I'm really tired. We should talk about Las Vegas now, before I fall asleep."

"Okay," he said, hesitantly. It was typical of her to shove a problem aside and pretend to be fine. He could understand why, because they were both the same in that respect. But there was no point in him challenging her over it; he would allow her space to deal with it in her own way and only intervene if he saw signs that she was struggling.

"What do you think you will do?" He asked.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "I'm really grateful to Pegasus for putting in a good word with his friend. But I'm not sure if it's what I really want to do. I might not go." Not sure? Frightened of the unknown? There were probably dozens of Tony's lurking in the shadows, waiting for vulnerable young people like her, desperate for stardom. What if she met another like him?

Yugi was surprised at her decision. "But you don't know what the job is yet! They might offer you a really good part! I think you should at least go for the interview."

She shrugged again. "Maybe. But I doubt they will offer me more than a minor role, since I'm not well known. The pay might not be worth it." She sagged slightly and sighed. "I don't what to do. Perhaps I should sleep on it. What do you think?"

"What do I think?!" He raised a startled eyebrow. "It doesn't matter what I think! It's what you want to do that's important." He said firmly, "If you're worried you will be letting me down by not coming back to Japan, then please don't. The last thing I want is you to pass up a chance on account of me."

She gently slapped his thigh in annoyance. "What you want is important! If I get offered a job and decide to accept it, I will have to move to Las Vegas. I'm not sure I want to do that." She shivered at the thought – was she really that anxious about moving there?

Yugi felt her shiver. Narrowing his eyebrows, he looked at her with concern. She was trying to find reasons not to go and was using them as excuses. Tony's actions must have crushed her confidence more than she was willing to admit.

All he could do was be there for her, and hopefully he could help her to slowly rebuild her shattered self-esteem and help her get her confidence back. Maybe if he went with her she might change her mind. "Would you go to the interview if I came with you?"

She appeared to brighten at his suggestion and nodded enthusiastically. "Would you?! Oh! Thank you Yugi." She leaned over and hugged him.

But then she released him, and appeared to have second thoughts. "Is it convenient? I don't want to prevent you from working. I would feel awful if you got into trouble with Kaiba."

He laughed and nudged her. "It's no inconvenience. I'm here for another week anyway, so what else would I do? And don't you worry about Kaiba; I can handle him."

Anzu felt relief as she nudged him back. "Thank you," She said, sincerely. Without him she was lost.

::::::::::::

The flight to Las Vegas was enjoyable. Pegasus' private jet was plush and well equipped, and they arrived in Las Vegas feeling relaxed, despite Anzu's nerves.

"Calm down my dear." Pegasus teased. "Joshua won't bite you! He is a kind man and very understanding of your situation. He has a twelve year old daughter who is studying ballet, and who wishes to follow in similar footsteps to yourself."

If they knew the real truth about the footsteps Anzu had taken, he doubted Joshua's daughter would want to follow her path!

After the late winter chill of New York, the desert heat was quite noticeable when the disembarked the jet, and they quickly realised that they were probably overdressed in their jeans, shoes and winter coats.

Anzu quickly took off her jacket and was relieved for the light blouse she had on underneath. But Yugi was wearing a wool jumper underneath his puffer jacket and started sweating as they crossed the car park to the waiting chauffeur driven limousine. By the time they reached the car, he had stripped off to his shirt and was not only carrying his overnight bag, his coat and jumper, but also Anzu's bag, which he insisted on carrying, stating that she needed to stay cool, calm and collected, and preserve her energy for the interview.

They were driven to the hotel, where the theatre and Joshua's office was situated.

"My father owns this hotel and casino," Pegasus told them as they arrived. "So I have arranged for you both to stay the night, free of charge of course."

Anzu and Yugi looked at each other, neither knowing quite what to say in response. This was a luxury five star hotel and it probably cost a fortune to stay here.

It was Yugi who spoke; "It's fantastic. Thank you. But are you sure?"

Pegasus dismissed his question with a wave of the hand. "Never look a gift horse in the face," he laughed. "And besides," he teased, "how do you know I'm not putting you in the staff quarters, expecting you to earn your keep?"

Yugi grimaced. "Not funny Pegasus."

Anzu nudged him. "We're very grateful and happy to stay wherever, Aren't we Yugi?"

He grimaced stupidly. "Of course we are."

"Oh, Yugi. You are always so funny when you pull such ridiculous faces," Pegasus chided, "But fear not, you shall not be with the servants, nor will you be cleaning rooms. I actually have a pleasant surprise for you both." He told his chauffeur to park the car in his private parking bay, and to take the rest of the afternoon off. He then gestured for Yugi and Anzu to follow him inside the hotel.

Inside, it was like something out of a James Bond film, and they both gasped in amazement when Pegasus told them that three Bond movies had actually been filmed here.

From reception, they followed Pegasus to the elevators and he showed them to their room.

"I will leave you to become acquainted with your room while I visit my lovely sister, who manages this wonderful establishment. My dear Anzu, I will see you in reception at two thirty. I will then take you to meet Joshua for your interview."

As soon as he left, Anzu and Yugi closed the door and looked around their room.

Yugi was relieved to drop the bags and his coat onto the floor. "This is nice," he said awkwardly, gazing around. It was nowhere near as big as the Kaiba suite in the New York hotel, but it was very nicely decorated, and had a four-poster bed!

Anzu blushed. "I think Pegasus has put us in the honeymoon suite."

"Really?" Yugi gasped, blushing. "Is that why there's a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket?"

He went over to the silver bucket and picked it out of the ice. It was all frosted with condensation.

He read out the note with a slight sneer in his voice, "To Anzu and Yugi. Good luck with your interview Anzu. I have left you a little something to celebrate with. Here's to romance and success! Love Max. xxx." He pulled a vomit face.

"Yugi!" Anzu scolded, "Don't be so cynical. I think it's a lovely gesture."

"Would you like a glass?" He asked, looking round for the champagne flutes and picking them up.

Anzu looked at him incredulously. "Before my interview?! You've gotta be kidding. Can you picture it? Me all giggly and falling about while I try to impress with my dancing?"

He chuckled and scratched his head. "Yeah.. I guess we should save it for later then." He put it back in the ice bucket. "I hope it doesn't get too warm when the ice melts."

Anzu shrugged. "We can get some more ice." She took off her shoes. "We have a couple of hours to kill, so I think I will freshen up and then relax for a bit."

He nodded, picked up the TV remote and sat down to flick through the channels.

Anzu came back from the bathroom smelling of fresh roses and wearing pale pink Lycra tights and a short, loose over-skirt, a loose, pale pink tee-shirt that was tied at the waist. Her hair was in a neat bun and she had applied some light make-up. He smiled appreciatively. "You look nice."

"Thanks," she grinned nervously. "It's what I wear usually when I audition, and for practice. It's cool, comfortable and easy to move in." She plonked herself on the sofa, next to him.

He reached across and took her hand. "You nervous?"

She nodded. "Only a bit. I'm so used to rejection I'm kind of resigned to failure and don't really care if they offer me anything."

"You will accept if they offer you a job though, won't you?"

She took a deep breath. "I really don't know. Depends what it is I guess. I'm still not sure I want to be away from you for too long."

He squeezed her hand. "We'll worry about that later, when we know what the job is. In the meantime, you just concentrate on smashing it at the interview."

"Depends what I'm smashing," she grimaced. Careful not to smudge her blusher, he leaned over and placed a careful kiss on her cheek.

::::::::::::

Pegasus was already waiting for them in reception when they arrived. He stood from his chair and admired Anzu with a cheesy grin. "You look as pretty as a picture my dear. Joshua cannot fail to be as impressed as I am."

Anzu rubbed her hands together nervously and smiled back. "You haven't seen me dance yet." If they wanted her to do ballet, she was probably a bit rusty after the sort of dancing she had been doing.

"You'll be fine," Yugi comforted.

"Well! Ready my dear?" Pegasus offered her his arm. Anzu accepted but seemed reluctant to leave Yugi and kept hold of his hand.

Pegasus was sympathetic, as he said, "Yugi, I'm afraid it is a closed audition, so you will have to wait in the bar. I will join you once I have made introductions."

Yugi was worried about leaving her. He was her comfort blanket and they had both hoped he would be able to sit and watch her dancing. It was all very well Pegasus going with her, but he did not know how fragile and anxious she was about meeting this man.

But she let go of his hand and smiled at him broadly. "I will be fine Yugi. I will see you after, okay?"

Although he was still concerned, Yugi smiled back at her. "Good luck," he said. "You've got this!" He clenched his fist and she held up her own fist to bump fists with him.

It was only after she had gone that he shook his hand out and winced – he had forgotten that the knuckles on his right hand were still tender, and she had bumped his fist pretty hard.


	15. Irish Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anzu goes for her interview and gets a surprise offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed posting this chapter last weekend. My husband took the week off work and we were decorating. I just didn't have the time for editing. Anyway. I hope you enjoy.

Biting anxiously on his bottom lip, Yugi watched Anzu as she and Pegasus walked away from him along the corridor for her interview. Pegasus opened a door and gestured Anzu to enter. She turned back, gave Yugi a tentative little wave as she went through the doorway and disappeared from view.

He let out a long sigh, wandered into the bar and ordered a coca cola. Anzu would be fine, he knew she would. She had her phone with her and could call him if she felt anxious about anything.

He found a seat and sat down with his drink.

Placing his phone on the table next to his drink, he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair and looked at it as if it might suddenly explode. The phone vibrated, making him startle slightly. His hand darted towards it and he picked it up.

It was only Jonouchi, sending him a link to a funny meme someone had made about Blue Eyes White Dragon protecting Kaiba's virginity. He snorted – Kaiba would sue if he found out.

He closed the link to the meme, put his phone down and went back to fidgeting and worrying. He was so uptight. Anzu was in safe hands, it was just him being neurotic.

He almost jumped when Pegasus suddenly appeared beside him. "Pegasus! What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Such a worry wart, Yugi. Anzu is just fine. I introduced her to Joshua, and left her in his safe hands. She was all smiles. And said to tell you to stop fussing like an old woman."

"She did, did she?" Yugi scowled, feeling unfairly judged.

"Well, she didn't actually say you were fussing like an old woman; I added that part," Pegasus teased, before sitting down in the chair opposite. "Why are you so nervous? It's just an interview, and she's almost certain to be offered work."

Yugi shrugged. "Because she has had so much bad luck and I don't want her to get another knock-back." It was a plausible reason. He could not tell him the real truth about why he was anxious for her.

"Ah...You care so much! That's nice." Pegasus rubbed his hands together and, much to Yugi's relief, changed the subject. "Would you care to join me for afternoon tea? Such a fine tradition."

"Thanks. but I'm okay with this," Yugi mumbled tersely. Pegasus nodded and waved at the bar tender for service. A waitress quickly appeared and took Pegasus' order for a cream tea.

"What's a cream tea?" Yugi wondered out loud.

"Oh! Have you never had tea, with scones, jam and cream? We import the clotted cream all the way from Cornwall – simply delicious." When Yugi shook his head in confusion, Pegasus explained about the English tea time treat of fresh, lightly baked scones, home-made strawberry jam, and how it was best served with clotted cream from Devon or Cornwall."

Yugi smiled as he listened with interest –perhaps he and Anzu could treat themselves when she returned.

::::::::::::

Anzu was shown into a small but nicely decorated office. Joshua was very nice, quickly putting her at ease. But so had Tony, so she should not let her guard down.

"Would you like tea? Coffee?" Joshua asked. When Anzu shook her head he offered water, which she accepted. "We're just waiting for Miss Daisy to join us." He explained, "she's my head choreographer, and is in charge of ensuring the dancers are all well rehearsed. She also allocates the dancers to their roles according to their abilities and experience." There was a pause. "I don't know how much Pegasus has already told you?"

"A little, but not much," Anzu replied. "He just said you employed dancers, and that your dancers worked all over the world!"

Joshua laughed. "Trust Max, er.. Mister Pegasus, to exaggerate." He rolled his eyes, and Anzu found herself suppressing a giggle as she smiled.

Joshua continued, "Perhaps I should tell you about about the business: we put on a variety of shows here at the Hotel. We also have people working on two cruise ships that are owned by a company run by Pegasus' family. I don't know if he has told you this, but his mother was a well known dancer and actress in her time. She and I started this agency nearly twenty years ago."

Anzu raised an eyebrow, "No! I didn't know."

"Yes. Pegasus' wife, Cecelia, bless her soul, loved ballet and was a rising young star when she was so cruelly struck down by a sudden illness. I think that's why Pegasus is so keen to help you in your career."

After some of the things Pegasus had said on the flight here, Anzu had thought that too.

A knock on the door interrupted them, and a cheery face appeared around the door as it was pushed open. "Sorry I'm late." A lithe, middle aged woman with deeply tanned skin, dark hair streaked with blonde and tied back into a pony tail, bounded in. "Problems with the cast of River Dance I'm afraid. Cassie broke her... Do you know River Dance my dear? Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Miss Daisy by the way. You must be...?" She offered Anzu a hand shake.

The woman had so much energy that Anzu already felt exhausted. But she smiled anyway and stood to greet her. Bowing, she accepted the handshake. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anzu Mazaki."

"Yeah, knew that already sweetie," she winked. Her demeanour reminded Anzu a little of Mai; brash and scary upon first meeting, but friendly once you got to know her.

Daisy turned back to Joshua. "As I was saying when I barged in; Cassie has broken her ankle. Tripped on the stage curtain pulls that were left lying around. Didn't I say yesterday they were a hazard?"

"Yes, you did," Joshua acknowledged, with a sigh. "I asked Derek to get them moved. He should have done it."

"Yeah. Well, he didn't and now I'm down a dancer for tomorrow night's performance. Dunno where I'm gonna get a replacement at such short notice."

Daisy sounded like she was under immense pressure so Anzu sheepishly raised her hand. "River Dance, did you say? I've always loved River Dance. We performed it at uni. It's so vibrant and exciting."

They both looked at her in surprise. Joshua said, "But I thought you were a ballerina?"

Anzu nodded. "I am. It was what I studied for my main degree. But my minor was in contemporary modern, which also included a lot of tap and Jazz."

"Do you think you can do it?" Daisy asked.

"I would love to!" Anzu said, excitedly. And then she remembered she was supposed to be back at work in the coffee shop the day after tomorrow. She had already swapped her shift so she could take tomorrow off and would never get back in time. "Tomorrow evening, you say?"

"That's right. It's actually coming to the end of it's six week run this weekend. The final shows are on Friday and Saturday."

Anzu chewed her finger in thought. She absolutely loved River Dance. It was an opportunity too good to miss. Yugi would be supportive. But could she let her co-workers at the cafe down? They would understand, she was sure. "Okay! I will do it!"

Daisy laughed, while Joshua smiled, appreciating her confidence.

"Woah!" Daisy responded, "You will have to audition first."

Anzu looked between them and Joshua nodded. "Go for it. If you impress Daisy then you're in." They were that desperate, having already lost their reserve members of the cast to various injuries and ailments.

Smiling, Anzu followed Daisy into the studio where the other dancers were rehearsing. The last time she had performed River Dance was three years ago, but she was certain she could remember it. The strangest thing was that she did not even feel nervous! Probably because she had not had time to think about it and work herself up into a tizzy.

After quick introductions with the other dancers, and a little instruction, she was dancing with them. It had all happened so quickly and she was absolutely on fire, loving every moment. This was what she trained for; to dance with people, and for people, who appreciated real art. Not to gyrate provocatively in a back street club, while taking off her clothes in-front of leering drunken perverts.

::::::::::::

"I wonder what's taking so long?" Yugi frowned, fidgeting in his chair. He checked his watch again and groaned. "I hope she's okay."

"Relax Yugi. Be patient. It's only been an hour," Pegasus chided.

"Only!" He had always been an impatient person, but right now he was more anxious than impatient.

"You shouldn't drink so much coca cola Yugi," Pegasus observed, as Yugi drained the rest of his second glass. "All that sugar and caffeine makes you jittery. And it will rot your teeth too," he teased.

Yugi scowled. Hadn't Pegasus put two sugars in his tea, and eaten a mountain of jam and cream on his scone?

"Anyway," Pegasus checked his own watch. "If you will excuse me? I promised my sister I would pick my nephew and niece, Oliver and Lydia, up from school for her." He patted Yugi's shoulder as he stood. "And stop worrying about Anzu. If things were not going very well she would be back by now. I will catch up with you both over dinner this evening. Must fly." And with that, he breezed out.

Yugi scowled as he watched him leave. Pegasus had no idea why he was worrying about Anzu. But Pegasus was probably right –she would have been back by now if it was going badly.

With Pegasus gone, Yugi decided to send Anzu a message, just to check how she was getting on. When she did not reply after two minutes, he groaned. Not only was he worried about her, he was now getting very bored.

The hotel had a casino and amusement arcade, so he decided to go and check it out. Usually the sounds made by the various one armed bandits and games would make his heart beat faster with anticipation, but not today. He was not in the mood.

After checking his phone for the umpteenth time and finding Anzu had still not replied, he decided to go back up to the room and have a lie down, or maybe play a video game if he could put his mind to it.

On the way to the elevator he spotted that the hotel had a gymnasium, spa and a really nice outdoor pool. After not having any exercise for several days, he suddenly fancied a swim. There was only one problem, he had not brought any swimming trunks with him.

Luckily, the hotel had a shop where he was able to buy swimming goggles and a pair of trunks.

He was informed that the pool and spa would provide him with a towel and a robe, so at least he did not need to buy a towel as well.

The pool was a decent size. The water sparkled in the afternoon sunshine, and Yugi found himself thinking about the drab grey weather they had left behind in New York.

Surprisingly, it was not that busy around the pool and he had a choice of sun loungers. He chose one that enabled him to glance easily at the entrance door to the pool so that he could spot Anzu if she arrived.

He spread out his towel, plonked his bag containing his phone and wallet on top of it and then jumped into the pool. Having learned to swim when he was very young, he a reasonably good simmer. Keen to burn off some of the calories he had consumed over the last couple of days, and also ease his anxiety, he started swimming lengths of the pool.

::::::::::::

Anzu was buzzing with excitement. It had gone so well that they had accepted her onto the cast of River Dance, and as she hurried to find Yugi she was on cloud nine –somewhere she had not been for a long time.

He was not waiting in the bar where he said he would be. That was when she noticed the time and realised just how long she had been gone! Three hours without updating him on what was happening was a bit unfair on him, but she was not expecting to be gone for that long and had lost track of time.

Remembering she had switched her phone to aeroplane mode for the interview, she turned it back to normal mode. As soon as she did it beeped, informing her that she had two messages from him. She read his messages and was relieved to see that he had found something to do.

If only she had brought her swimming costume with her!

Rather than go back up to the room to wait, she went straight to the pool where she was offered a robe and a towel. "It's okay. I'm not swimming," she informed the attendant. "I'm actually looking for my boyfriend, Yugi Muto. He is about my height, maybe a bit taller, and has very spiky hair."

The attendant smiled a broad grin. "Yeah, Miss, I definitely remember a guy with spiky hair. He's still here if you wanna go on through." He kindly gave her a towel anyway, and showed her how to get through to the pool.

Mainly thanks to his hair, she spotted Yugi immediately. He had now finished swimming and was relaxing on a sun longer underneath a sunshade, wearing one of the white robes supplied by the hotel.

He had his eyes closed and looked like he was asleep.

She crept up to where he was laying and crouched over him, smiling at how he cuddly he looked in his robe.

She thought about surprising him by tickling his bare legs and feet.

But that would be too mean after she had already caused him enough stress by being gone for so long. She decided to surprise him by tickling the end of his nose instead. But just as she crouched down and was about to reach over him, he opened his eyes and grinned at her. "Doh!" She grinned back. "So much for the element of surprise!"

He chuckled. "You need to be a bit more stealthy if you want to surprise me. Anyway! How'd it go?" His heart sunk when she sat down on the edge of his sun lounger with a long face. "Well..." she sighed, pretending to be disappointed.

He sat up and rubbed her upper arm sympathetically, "Hey! What happ..." However, he paused when her face puckered up and she started snickering.

He was perturbed. "You're winding me up! You got the job, didn't you?" He really hoped she that was the case.

She nodded frantically, her face breaking out into the biggest simile ever. "Yes! I got the job." She rubbed his thigh through the material of his robe. "Sorry... It was mean of me to try and make a joke of it."

"Very mean," he pouted, pretending to be irked. But almost immediately he winked and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Anyway. That's awesome news. Did you accept?"

She grinned toothily at him and nodded. "Yep! I accepted. They offered me a part in River Dance. Have I ever told you I really love River Dance?"

He shook his head. "River Dance?" He had heard of it. "Isn't it some kind of Irish dance?"

"That's right," she nodded. "I couldn't believe it when they asked me. One of the dancers broke her ankle and … I feel really sorry for her, but it's so lucky for me! When they asked me if I would like to audition I jumped at it. We performed River Dance when I was at Juilliard. It was a while ago but I still remember most of it! I'm really excited Yugi. This is finally the chance I've been waiting for."

Smiling warmly he hugged her. "I knew you'd do it. I'm so proud of you. When do you start?"

"Ah..." She released herself from the hug. "That's something I need to talk to you about."

His expression turned to one of perplexity. "Is there a problem?"

She quickly shook her head. "No! Not a problem, exactly... More of an inconvenience. You see, they want me to dance tomorrow evening."

Yugi's eyes went wide. "Tomm... But!" He spluttered. "Don't you need to rehearse first?!"

"Probably," she chuckled. "I'm not too worried about the dancing as I'm confident I can do it. But I am concerned about the inconvenience I'm causing by being so impulsive and accepting it without thinking. I mean, we're flying back to New York tomorrow lunch time and it will cost money to re-book."

Yugi shrugged it off. "Don't worry about the flight. I'll sort that out. It's you that I'm concerned about. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I'm sure." She put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Thank you for being so supportive, Yugi." The travel arrangements had been the one of the things worrying her, but if Yugi was not worried about cancelling their flight, then she was not worried either. "We should do something to celebrate," she suddenly decided.

"We still have that champagne in the room?" He suggested. "Or did you want to swim first?"

She shrugged. "I don't have a swimming costume with me. The champagne sounds nice."

"It does," he agreed. Anzu stood up while he gathered up his stuff. "I just need to get changed first," he told her.

Nodding, she replied, "I'll wait for you in the sports bar."

"I won't be long." Giving her a quick kiss, he dashed off to the male changing room. Anzu watched him go and then went through to the bar area to wait.

Yugi didn't bother to shower –he could do that back at the room. He quickly changed into his clothes and hurried out to find Anzu. She was at the bar buying a big bag of potato chips.

"I haven't eaten much, and I doubt you have either," she said. "So I thought I would get something to munch while we have the champagne."

"Good thinking," he replied. "Here, I'll pay." He pulled out his wallet, not giving her a chance to object.

Back in the room, they discovered that as expected the ice in the bucket had melted and the champagne was not as chilled as it should be.

Yugi wiped off the excess water from the bottle where it had been sat in the bucket. "I'll go down to the bar and swap it for a cold one," he decided.

Anzu shrugged. "I don't mind it as it is," she replied, indecisively.

Yugi rolled his eyes and made yuk face. "I doubt warm champagne is very nice. I'm sure they won't mind changing it. I'll be quick!" He tipped the melt water from the ice bucket into the bathroom sink and took the bucket with the champagne down to the bar.

Anzu put the TV on, sat down in an armchair and started munching on the crisps while she waited. She scrolled through channels until she found a nature documentary about bears in Alaska – it looked vaguely interesting.

She did not have to wait very long for Yugi to return, carrying a bucket full of fresh ice containing a nice cold bottle of champagne. He was all smiles.

"Ta da!" He said, brandishing the bottle. "Told you they wouldn't mind changing it."

"I never said they wouldn't," she laughed, watching him struggle to open it. "Perhaps I should...?" She reached out her hand to take the bottle, but he pouted at her and twisted away so that she could not get to the bottle.

"I know what I'm doing, okay?" Truth was, he had never opened a bottle of champagne before. But how difficult could it be? He had opened plenty of beer bottles, and the odd bottle of wine. "There! Got it!" He smirked as the cork flew with a big pop, rebounding off the ceiling.

Anzu whooped at the noise it made when it popped, and grabbed the champagne flutes, holding them out for him to fill. "Quick! Before it froths up and spills over."

"It's fine," he said, keeping a close eye on the fizz rising up the neck of the bottle. He poured it carefully, tilting each wine flute to pour on an angle as he did – he knew that much from pouring out some of the lively beers Jonouchi carried in his backpack when he cycled over for games night, shaking them up en-route.

Yugi smiled as he handed her one of the dainty champagne flutes he had just filled. "Congratulations on your new career!"

"To us!" She said, holding up her glass.

He gently touched his glass to hers. "And our future!" He added. Their eyes met briefly and something deep and meaningful passed silently between them. But almost immediately it was gone when Anzu looked away again, taking a sip of her champagne. However, Yugi did notice that she had a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

Her blush under control and composure regained, Anzu said, "I've been thinking. It doesn't seem worth going back to New York at all this week if I'm dancing tomorrow and again on Friday and Saturday. But I feel like I'm making decisions without asking you first..." she trailed off guiltily. He was paying for their flight back to New York and would be out of pocket. And if they stayed here another week he would probably end up paying for that too!

"Hey!" He said, touching her arm gently with his fingertips. "I don't mind. You decide what you want to do and I will go along with it."

"But you will end up paying for it all and I feel bad because I don't have any money." She twisted in her seat, and he did not fail to notice how her knees were now pressed against his leg. She continued, "You always put yourself out for me and I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you."

"You don't have to repay me," he said sincerely. "I'm here because I want to be with you. Besides, I'm not paying for the room since Pegasus said we can stay here for free."

"I guess. But I wasn't expecting to get offered a job immediately. I didn't even pack enough clothes and I can't ask you to buy me more," she said, looking over at her holdall. "What about you? Do you have enough clothes?"

He laughed at the question. "I've already run out of clean things to wear. I'm hoping I can get them washed."

Pretending to be disgusted Anzu wrinkled her nose. "Euww! Yugi!"

"Hey! It's not my fault! I was meant to fly home to Japan yesterday!" He said in his defence.

"I guess it's my fault then," she pouted. "I'm kind of making everyone change their plans for me."

"No, you're not," he chuckled, "Everything will work out fine, I just know it will."

She smiled apprehensively. "I hope you're right. I still feel guilty about the inconvenience I'm causing. I just hope I can get someone to cover my shift in the cafe tomorrow, too." She sighed, "Maybe I should have said I can't dance tomorrow night."

"Hey! You can't back out now! I'm sure someone at the cafe will cover for you." He knew from experience that employees were usually keen to jump at the chance to earn extra money.

"I dunno what I would do without you here Yugi. You're so calm and rational about everything."

He knocked back the rest of his champagne – it was a small flute anyway – and placed it on the table. And then he leaned across and kissed her lips gently. "Rational is my middle name." She would not have thought him calm if she had seen him earlier while she was at her interview!

He pulled back, looking at her intently, a slight smirk on his face.

Her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were dark and hooded, and had that same longing look in them that she had seen the other night. Butterflies immediately started dancing inside her tummy at the thought of intimacy with him. It had been a long time since the last time she and Yugi had last made love, and she was afraid. But she could not let her fears continue to rule over her, ruining her chance of happiness with the man she loved so deeply and who she knew would do anything to make her happy.

Her mind was made up!

Drinking the rest of her champagne, she placed her glass down and turned to Yugi. Deftly, she took his hand and entwined her fingers with his. "What are you thinking about Yugi?" She said, teasingly. She was pretty sure she knew exactly what was on his mind.

He blushed, squirming in his seat. He had been rumbled. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. You look so beautiful."

An awkward moment of silence filled the room as he waited anxiously for her response. She would either welcome him, or call him a pervert and reject him. He held his breath, heart thumping.

He almost let out a sigh of relief when she leaned across the chair and kissed him tentatively. He returned the kiss, gently touching her cheek with his hand. She responded by parting her lips, kissing him with more passion.

He was almost out of his chair as he leaned over the armrests to put his arms around her. But kissing each other like this from the confines of armchairs was uncomfortable and they were forced to part again.

"Do.. you want to move to the bed?" She asked nervously. As anxious as she was feeling she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But could she force away her awful memories of what happened with Tony.

They stood up and Yugi took her hand. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

She nodded, confirming that she was, but then contradicted herself by saying, "I.. I think so.. If I do panic and push you away, will you promise you won't get angry?" She did not want that to happen, but if it did she was worried how much damage it would cause to their relationship.

It hurt him to think that she thought he might be forceful, or get angry with her. "I would never be angry at you for saying 'no'," he reassured. "We'll take it slowly and you're in control. If at any time you want to stop, just say so and I promise I will."

She nodded feebly. "O..okay..."

Giving her a reassuring smile, he lowered her onto the bed and leaned on one elbow looking down at her. She smiled up at him and put her arms around his neck. He stroked her face gently and then kissed her softly. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is probably the last, unless I start adding more content. At the moment it is still T rated, but there is the option of adding adult content of an intimate nature, rather than glossing it over and cutting straight to the last part of the story. If I write a 'bonus scene' it might stretch to two more chapters.
> 
> It all depends on the reviews I receive.


	16. Champagne and Kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a bonus chapter. I don't think it's graphic enough to warrant changing the rating, but please be aware that it contain intimacy between two adults and should not be read by minors.

Feeling Yugi's lips, soft and gentle on hers, was comforting for Anzu. He was not forceful or demanding like Tony, and it brought back good memories, of innocence and happier times.

Yugi was easing away her fears, and the unpleasant thoughts and feelings she had been anticipating were not plaguing her. But how she would feel when they progressed beyond kissing?

She felt his hand slide from her flank down to her hip. He stroked her upper thigh gently, and she was okay. But when his hand touched her lower tummy, she started to feel anxious; she wanted to push him away and yell at him to stop. Not want to hurt his feelings she did her best to kept her composure. However, he felt her body tense and moved his hand back to her side.

He stopped stopped kissing her. "Are you okay?" He asked gently, studying her face.

She nodded weakly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to flinch."

"It's okay. Don't apologise. Am I going too fast? We can stop if you want?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want you to stop."

He stroked an errant strand of hair from her face. "I won't unless you tell me to, okay?" He smiled lovingly and sat up. He started to undo the buttons on his shirt, pulling it off to discard on the floor.

Anzu propped herself up on her elbow, knees defensively pressed together.

Yugi settled back down on his elbow, facing her. "I... know you already know this -at least I hope you do," he smiled bashfully, gazing into her eyes with desire. "But I love you so much I would do anything for you."

"I know you would, Yugi. I love you too." She reached out and ran her hand over his bare chest and collarbone. The contours of his body were more finely chiselled than she last remembered, and he had filled out a little.

But although he was now broader, and more physically impressive than he used to be, he still carried less muscular bulk than Tony, and wasn't as hairy. That was a good thing in her mind; she was never a fan of chest hair, and much preferred Yugi's far more appealing, smooth chest.

Tentatively, she kissed his chest, sucking gently on the skin, just above his nipple. Pulling away again. she pulled a 'Yuk' face. "You taste of swimming pool," she giggled.

He looked horrified and sniffed himself. "Ugh! I do, don't I? Is it putting you off? Maybe I should shower."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down onto the bed, so that he was laying on her. "Don't be silly. Of course I'm not put off."

"Oh! Well, that's good then." He hesitated at first, not sure if she was inviting him to ravish her, but the way she was looking at him made him feel aroused. Taking advantage of his new position, he started kissing her again.

After a few seconds they broke off the kiss again. "I noticed you smelled of chlorine when we first started kissing," she said, still obsessing over it.

He rolled his eyes. "If it really is that horrible, then I can shower?"

She shook her head. "No. It's fine." He was looking at her doubtfully, so she added. "Honestly!" She knew what she was doing; she was trying to distract herself by foccussing in on the smell of the chemicals from the swimming pool.

Accepting her answer, Yugi started kissing her neck, pushing her tee-shirt aside to get access to more of her shoulder. Meanwhile, one of his hands drifted down to the hem of her tee-shirt and slid inside feeling its way up towards her rib-cage. There he encountered the strong elastic of a crop top style sports-bra.

Chuckling, Anzu pushed him away.

He was perplexed; was she pushing him away because he reached inside her top and touched her? But she was smiling at him in a way that he thought was seductive, and he was relieved when she pulled off her tee-shirt and chucked it to one side. "That's a nice top, I don't want it stretched out of shape," she said, matter of factly.

He smiled, taking in her lovely figure. Her tummy and waist were nicely toned from the core and strength training she did for her dancing. "You're so beautiful," he muttered, appreciatively.

"Thank you," she said coyly, blushing. She suddenly felt self conscious; imagining, not Yugi looking at her, but boozed up leering men from the club gawking at her. Tony was leaning on the bar with a sardonic expression on his face, watching her. It made her shudder and she flinched away.

Yugi was alarmed. "Anzu! What's wrong?"

Recognising she might be about to have a panic attack, she closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth; it was what they were all taught to do to control nerves or a severe case of stage fright before a performance. After a few breaths she relaxed again. "Just a flashback. I'm okay," she said, reassuring him by placing her hand on his cheek.

"Are you sure?" Still uncertain that she was okay, he moved her hand to his lips to that he could kiss it gently. "Don't feel you have to do this just to satisfy me," he said softly.

Feeling much calmer again, she pulled her hand away so that she could put her arms around him. He embraced her and they stayed like that for several seconds, enjoying the closeness of their warm bodies.

Yugi wished he could feel her bare breasts against his chest. He began fumbling with the sports-bra to see if he could undo the catch and remove it –he would stop if she protested. Thankfully, she did not try to stop him so he continued. But there was no clasp! In his frustration, he tried to push his fingers between the elastic and her skin, but whilst it did stretch a bit, the elastic was quite strong and it did not give him any access. He gave up trying and released her from their hug.

"How does this thing come off?" He grumbled, but with good humour.

Desperately wanting to appear relaxed, Anzu giggled. "Like this!" She crossed her arms over her chest and under under her sides, and gripped the edges of the elasticated fabric. This was a defining moment for her to conquer her anxiety. She tugged at the sports-bra, wriggling out of it, pulling it up and over her head. Yugi thought it looked an awkward contraption to remove, but his eyes were not on the bra, they were drawn to her breasts as they popped out from underneath the material, revealing themselves in all their glory.

He was eager to touch and to caress them, but was unsure if she was fully comfortable with him doing that. Swallowing, he kept his hands to himself, but continued to admire her. The beautiful woman before him was making his already mildly aroused manhood suddenly very hard and it was difficult to restrain himself.

An awkward couple of moments later, Anzu giggled nervously. "There! Now we're both topless," she said, blushing. But with Yugi looking at her longingly she was feeling self conscious, and instinctively covered herself with her arms. The fear she was experiencing felt crippling, but she was had known Yugi for most of her life and she trusted him. He had never hurt her before when they made love and she knew he would not hurt her now.

Gingerly, she uncovered herself. Leaning forward, she put her arms around his shoulders and started kissing him.

He could feel her breasts touching his chest, sending bolts of pleasure and desire through him. It was all too much for him and lust was taking control. In a instant he had her pressed into the mattress and was kissing her passionately, one hand massaging the most easily accessible breast.

Anzu held onto him, her right hand massaging the back of his scalp, while the left explored the contours of his back.

When her hand found it's way down to squeeze his buttocks through his jeans, he growled. Up until now he had avoided pressing his erection against her, but she almost seemed to be encouraging him! Unable to stop himself, he slid one leg over her thighs. Her grip tightened on his backside and he instinctively rolled his hips against her pelvic region.

Anzu could feel his erection against her pubic bone, and it made her shiver. Moaning into their kiss, she moved her hand from his bottom to the front of his jeans. He tilted his hips to make it easier for her to touch him there. After rubbing him, she moved to fumble with the buckle on his belt, but it was stubborn and she could not undo it in this position.

He immediately stopped kissing her and sat up to undo the offending accessory. The button on his jeans was awkward too, so he undid that for her.

Smiling to cover up her fears, she carefully undid his zip. But fear suddenly gripped her and she pulled her hand away. "Sorry," she mumbled, turning away from him. "I don't know if I can."

He was disappointed, and hesitated a moment; should he do his trousers back up and leave her alone? Or should he comfort her, in the hope she might overcome her fear so that they might continue? What should he do? He had no idea, but chose the option to comfort her.

"Hey!" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her bare shoulder. "If you want we can stop?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to stop. I just had a... moment, that's all."

He nodded, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I promise to behave myself," he said, innocently.

Feeling him prodding her in the back, she turned and pointed down at where he was poking out through the flap in his boxers, "More than can be said for Him though," she scolded.

"Oh!" Blushing, Yugi cringed and covered himself with his hand. "Sorry! I didn't..."

Anzu finished the sentence for him,"-You didn't mean to point?" Giggling, she hid behind her hand when he pouted at her with a light blush on his face. He looked so cute. How could she possibly resist such a cute, aroused Yugi?

"Maybe we should take the rest of our clothes off," she suggested, still nervous, but with renewed determination. He nodded, liking that idea very much.

With their remaining clothes discarded into a pile on the floor, they sat naked on the bed facing each other.

Yugi reached his hand out and stroked her outer thigh as he leaned in, kissing her gently. Her arms snaked around him as he lowered her onto her back on the bed. It was such a long time since they last made love and he was eager. But he knew he must not get too carried away, for Anzu's sake.

It was terribly frustrating trying to keep his hands from wandering.

He was elated, when, after several minutes of kissing, she touched him intimately. But he was so sensitive and aroused that he almost thrust into her hand; if she continued stroking him like that he would not last, so he reluctantly moved out of her reach.

"Do you want me to wear a condom?" He asked, preparing to get up and go over to his bag to get one if she said yes. It would help to relax the tightening coil in his loins too.

"You don't have to," she replied. "I'm protected."

He nodded. "Okay. Erm..." He scratched the back of his head. "Is it okay if I touch you?" He tentatively touched her upper thigh and waited for permission to proceed. He felt a rush of excitement when she nodded and parted her legs for him. She tensed a little when he first touched her but soon started to relax.

After a few minutes, he positioned himself to enter her but was met with resistance. He was frightened he would hurt her if he forced his way in so he stopped.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I trying to relax but I don't know if I can." It was not deliberate; her body's defence mechanism was kicking in to protect herself from unwanted invasion.

Gently kissing her face, he smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. We'll take it slowly, Is there anything I can do to help you relax?"

"I don't know. Just keep trying, I guess."

He pursed his lips in thought. "There is something I can think of doing, if you'll let me?" Kissing his way down her tummy, he paused and looked up at her.

A knot of excitement fluttered inside her and she nodded. His tongue was hot and... nice. She draped her legs over his shoulders and let out a moan of pleasure. It was a long time since he had done this to her. In fact, he had only ever done this to her once, and that was during the last time they made love. Wonderful memories of a night so long ago came flooding back as he worked her into a trembling, moaning mess.

Just when she thought she was going to lose herself, he moved into position and slid himself inside her with ease. It felt so nice.

Relived that she was okay, he started to rock his hips gently. He needed to keep his rhythm smooth and even if he was to avoid finishing too soon.

But Anzu was so close the the edge herself that she was clenching around him, and her strong, flexible legs were wrapped so tightly round his waist. He was pretty sure he was making some very animalistic noises as tried to hold on. But when she clenched around him again, bringing tears of ecstasy, joy and pain to his eyes, he lost himself in her completely. He really was dying the little death.

As the last of his orgasm subsided, he started apologising for finishing too quickly. "I disappointed you. I'm sorry."

"Yugi! Of course you didn't disappoint me! You were incredible! I didn't even think I would be able to let you near me." She reached up and brushed the unruly blonde strands of hair from his face so that she could see into his eyes properly. His eyes were glazed and watery; tears hanging in the corners, like dew drops ready to fall.

He wiped his hand across his face to get rid of them. "Stupid tears," he grumbled. "I love you so much I can't help it." If his face was not already flushed, he would be blushing.

Anzu loved seeing him so emotional after their lovemaking. He was revealing his soul to her and it filled her whole being with such happiness. Overwhelmed by feelings of love for him, she kissed his face. "You've taken away all my fears and made me feel whole again Yugi. I love you." Her bottom lip trembled and she thought she might start crying too.

::::::::::::

Having cleaned themselves up a little, they lay down on the bed together for a post coital cuddle. Thanks to Yugi, Anzu could finally move forward and lay Tony's ghost to rest. She might still have to testify at in court, or at any inquest into his death, but she was sure she was strong enough to deal with that now.

Gently stroking little circles on her shoulder as she lay with her head on his chest, Yugi felt contented and could quite easily drift off to sleep.

But they could not remain here relaxing for much longer. There were things they needed to do before meeting Pegasus for dinner. "We should probably shower and get dressed," he muttered sleepily. "I need sort out our flights as soon as possible."

"We should make a list," she decided. "I need to buy more clothes. Hopefully Pegasus will know if there's a Walmart nearby." She heard Yugi snicker. "What's so funny?" She asked indignantly.

"I doubt Pegasus would go anywhere near a place like Walmart, let alone heard of it."

"Everyone's heard of Walmart," Anzu tutted, "Don't mock it. It's cheap and you can get just about anything there."

"I'm not mocking," he said defensively. "I'm just saying, it's not the sort of place Pegasus would go to shop. He might not know where there is one."

She rolled her eyes and tickled him playfully, making him squirm. He let out a squeak. "What was that for?"

"I like it when you squeak," she laughed, leaning over him to kiss him. He immediately grabbed her around the waist and rolled her over, deepening the kiss.

She pushed him away. "Not now. We have to shower, remember?" He did remember. Groaning, he stopped kissing her to let her sit up.

"Do you want first shower?" He asked.

"Well, actually," she replied, coyly. "I noticed it's a big, walk-in shower, with plenty of room for two!"

His face lit up. "Yeah! You want to shower together?"

She blushed. "That's what I was saying. But if you would rather not..." she trailed off, a teasing edge to her voice.

"No!" He blurted. "I mean, yes! I'd like that. Let's shower together!"

He jumped up, still completely naked, grabbing her hand as he did so. Laughing, she followed him to the bathroom.

She remembered the one and only time before when they tried to share a shower at her house when her parents were away for the weekend. The tiny shower cubicle had been cramped, and after getting soapy water in their mouths and eyes, and bumping elbows on the wall and screen one too may times, they gave it up as impossible.

But this shower was much better. There was plenty of room for them to take it in turns to shampoo one another's hair and wash each other's body. It was intimate and romantic, and Anzu decided that when they eventually made a home together they would have a spacious walk in shower if they could afford it.

::::::::::::

Dressed in just their hotel robes, Yugi and Anzu sat down at the small, round, light oak table in their room.

Yugi flipped open his laptop and set about changing their flights back to New York, while Anzu called work to explain she would not be back for her shift the day after tomorrow. It did not go down well with her boss, who told her he would take the hours lost out of her final pay check. She then made a list of everything she and Yugi needed.

Yugi looked into various options; one being that he fly directly home from Las Vegas. But it would be costly, and not really much quicker than flying from New York. There was also the added problem of having to clear all this with Seto Kaiba, who was paying for his New York flight. No doubt, if he had to cancel the flight, Kaiba would make Yugi cover the cost, so he decided to fly back to New York with Anzu and stick with his original flight home.

As soon as she came off the phone, he told her, "I've booked both us onto a new flight, at midday next Monday. Earliest time I could get I'm afraid."

"That's okay. When do you fly back to Japan?"

"About one thirty in the afternoon next Tuesday." It would mean, a four and a half hour flight to New York on Monday, plus another fourteen hours plus to Tokyo the next day. He would be exhausted but it couldn't be helped; at least he was spending an extra week with Anzu.

"Ooh..." Anzu grimaced, feeling guilty. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault you have to do so much flying."

Smiling bravely, he leaned over from his laptop and kissed her. "I'll be fine. Hopefully I'll sleep through most of it."

She acknowledged him with a small smile and slight nod. "Um.. Anyway. I've made a list of things we need. Do you want me to read it out?"

He nodded in amusement, keen to hear what was on her list. She started reading. "Okay! Here goes –that's not written on my list by the way."

He rolled his eyes. "I guessed that."

She continued,"Clothing: We must ask Pegasus if housekeeping can wash your clothes for you. We also need to ask Pegasus where Wallll..." she stalled mid word when he smirked, and let out a light snort. "Don't laugh!" She huffed. "Walmart!"

He burst out laughing. "Sorry! It's not that funny. It's just the look you're giving me and the way you said Walmart."

"I'm being serious Yugi. I need underwear, socks, tee-shirts, cheap leggings and probably another dress to wear in the evenings. And unless you want to buy me something from an expensive boutique, Walmart it is," she stated, adamantly.

He held his hands up. "I know. My more immediate problem is that I don't know what I'm gonna wear for dinner with Pegasus. I have two nice shirts and they're both dirty. My other dress shirt got ruined the other night."

"Sorry. I threw it in the trash," she admitted. "I owe you a new shirt. Have you got clean pants?"

"Trousers I can probably get away with. But I'm on my last pair of boxers."

Anzu did not like to ask how many days he had already been wearing them, and she doubted he had even considered rinsing through the ones he had already worn.

::::::::::::

Grinning, Yugi held Anzu's hand as they stepped out of the elevator. Luckily, Yugi's shirt was not dirty or smelly, and would do one more wear. Anzu looked at him, proud to be seen in his company. She reached over and kissed his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on his face.

She giggled. "Oops!" She licked her finger and tried to wipe it off, but he flinched away.

"Why are you wiping spit on me?!" He said, sounding slightly disgusted.

"I'm scent marking you to show all the other women you're mine," she teased.

"Really?!" He beamed, the idea of her wiping her spit on him growing on him.

"No! Silly. I accidentally put lipstick on you."

"Oh.." He pouted, disappointed.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear, devilishly. "We already scent marked each other earlier."

"Anz.." he almost blurted loudly, but lowered his voice. "Anzu! I'm shocked at you." The guys being crude, he was used to, but not Anzu; she always used to tell them off when they were being crude.

But he quite liked the idea of everyone knowing he and Anzu belonged to each other.

"Come on," he said, purposefully. "We're five minutes late. I expect Pegasus is already waiting." He bent his arm and pointed his elbow at her. Nodding, she looped her arm through his and they went arm in arm into the bar. Where, as expected, Pegasus was already waiting.

He stood to greet them, all smiles. "Good evening! Please, sit? I will order drinks. What would you like?" They noticed that Pegasus already had a bottle of red wine on the table and had poured himself a glass.

"I'll have sparkling water please?" Anzu replied.

"Can I have a larger?" Yugi said.

They all sat down and Pegasus waved to the waitress, who came over to take the order.

After she had gone to get the drinks, Pegasus spoke, in a rather fawning tone, "My dear Anzu... I must congratulate you on being offered a part in River Dance. It's such marvellous news. Although, I must say I'm surprised; I thought ballet was more your thing?"

Anzu laughed. "I do love ballet and that's what I would like to do eventually. But I also love other forms of dance, especially River Dance. As soon as it was mentioned that they needed a replacement dancer, I jumped at it."

"Yes. Well, I'm impressed." Pegasus rubbed his hands together. "We should order champagne to celebrate."

Anzu held her hand up. "That's a lovely idea, but Yugi and I already had some of the champagne that was in our room. I don't want to drink anything else tonight as I need to be in top shape for tomorrow."

Pegasus waved her away. "Oh! One little glass of bubbly won't hurt. Will it now, Yugi?"

Not happy at being caught in the middle, Yugi shifted in his seat awkwardly. They had only had two rather dainty glasses of the champagne in the room, so he wouldn't have thought it a problem. " Um.. I don't see why not. But it's Anzu's choice."

Anzu frowned at him. "It's a demanding dance and I already ache from practice this afternoon. I need to get into better shape than I'm in right now. Which means no alcohol, and no junk food." She regretted not paying much attention to her health and fitness over the last few months –she had certainly been drinking more than she ever used to.

Ignoring her weak protest, Pegasus ordered a bottle of champagne anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed.  
> Final chapter will be approximately one week from now.


	17. Show-time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anzu's dreams look to be happening at last, and Yugi is supporting her all the way as she prepares for her big moment.

The following morning, Anzu woke with a bit of a headache. It couldn't be the champagne, because apart from the two glasses she had drunk in the room with Yugi, she had not had any from the bottle Pegasus had ordered, even though he had been insistent!

She looked at the time. Only six AM.

Beside her, Yugi was snoring. Not wishing to offend Pegasus, Yugi had drunk a glass of the champagne, as well as the champagne they had consumed in the room, plus a beer – no wonder he was snoring!

Sighing, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a pee, and to get a glass of water so that she could take some pills for her head.

Sliding back into bed, she tried to get back to sleep but her mind was too active. So far, she had not been nervous about performing River Dance. But the reality of performing a dance, with people she had hardly had any time to get to know or rehearse with, was starting to seep in. She really had thrown herself in off the deep end!

Beside her, Yugi was still snoring and she wanted to poke him and tell him to be quiet. But that would be mean; he was so soundly asleep.

Or was he? He had stopped snoring.

She jumped when he suddenly spoke, "Anzu. What's wrong?"

Their eyes were locked in the darkness of the room, and she was not sure what to say. In the end, she mumbled, "Nothing. I got out for a pee and you were snoring so I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, clearing his dry throat. His nose was a bit blocked up. Needing to blow it, and also get a drink of water, he excused himself and got out of bed.

He returned a few minutes later. "That champagne has made me really thirsty," he told her.

"Why do you think I didn't want any more?" She said. "I have a busy day ahead of me."

"Then we had better try and get back to sleep," he suggested, opening his arms, inviting her to cuddle up to him. She willingly accepted, scooting into his embrace.

They woke up again some two hours or so later, the sun peering in around the edges of the thick curtains, highlighting the particles of dust floating where the light touched them.

The headache pills had done their job in getting rid of her headache, but she still felt peaky and lethargic.

"Eight twenty," Yugi informed her. "Did you want to get up yet? Or shall we stay here a bit longer?"

"I could do with some breakfast, and lots of coffee," she replied, yawning.

Sitting up, Yugi yawned as well and rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm not really all that hungry. The swimming pool was really nice yesterday. I might go for swim before breakfast."

"How long will you be?" She yawned again, and Yugi noticed that she really did look tired and pasty.

"Why don't you order breakfast in the room? You can relax here while I swim," he suggested. "Is that okay?"

Anzu smiled. "Yes. Thanks." She liked the idea of breakfast in bed. Shame Yugi was not staying with her for breakfast in bed, too. "Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay?"

He shook his head and patted his tummy. "No. I need that swim. I'm getting fat on all this American food." In truth, his stomach felt a bit acid this morning, from the champagne and beer. But he knew some exercise would put him right.

She laughed. "You've only been here a few days!"

"Yeah," he grumbled, "But all I've done is eat and drink!" He went over to the table to grab the menu and handed it to her. "Order whatever you like from room service. I'll probably be about half an hour or so."

"Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No. It's okay. I'll get something later." He kissed her cheek, stripped off his pyjama shorts and went to grab his trunks from the bathroom, where they had been hanging up to dry.

Anzu looked admiringly at his naked body as he trotted to the bathroom. He always did have a nice butt.

"Don't forget to drop your dirty clothes off on the way to the pool?" She called after him.

He reappeared from the bathroom, adjusting himself in his trunks. "Yeah, I'll do that." Good job she reminded him. He gathered up most of his dirty clothes and stuffed them into the laundry bag he had been given before they came up to bed last night.

"I can't believe how nice Pegasus is being to us," Anzu observed. "He seems different to how I remember."

"Must mean he's up to something, huh?" Yugi laughed. After a few seconds, he added, "Seriously though, I think he always was a nice person, until his wife died and he got the Millennium Eye. I think it changed him into someone he regrets. He's trying to atone."

Anzu agreed, "You're probably right. " She wondered what sort of spiteful spirit could manipulate a man into believing that hurting other people would bring his deceased wife back! Probably the same entity that made placid Ryou into a killer, and in the early days, Atem into an demonic, vengeful spirit. It made her think just how lucky Atem was to have had Yugi as his hikari to help him heal his soul.

Yugi picked up his hotel robe and put it on to go down to the pool; he had seen people walking around in their robes and figured that it was acceptable to do so. "See you later," he said, leaning across the bed to give her another kiss, this time on the forehead, before he left.

::::::::::::

By the time Yugi returned from his swim, Anzu had almost finished her breakfast. Expecting him to be hungry after his swim, she had ordered an extra croissant and saved him some coffee; the coffee came in a thermos and was large enough for several cups.

He sat down at the little table, grateful that she had thought of him.

"How was your swim?" She asked, watching him hungrily devouring the croissant.

He nodded, swallowing down his mouthful of the tasty pastry, before replying, "Nice. I thought it would be busy but there were only two other people in there."

"Well, it's still only February!"

He shrugged. "But it's not that cold! And the water in the pool is really warm."

She smiled and got up. "I'm going to brush my teeth, have a shower and get dressed."

He nodded, and asked, "What do you want to do for the rest of the morning?"

"I don't know. Not much. I have to go for my costume fitting around midday." The costume she was going to wear had needed some urgent adjustment for it to properly fit her. "Then at two I have to do a run through and make sure I have everything memorised."

She sounded a bit nervous, so Yugi reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You will be awesome. I know you will. I can't wait to see you dance," he said, sincerely.

"A bit more respectable than the last dance you watched me do, huh, Yugi?" She said bitterly.

"Yeah, well, probably best we forget about that," he said, still feeling a tad guilty about how he had reacted that night.

Changing the subject, Anzu suggested they could take a quick look in the boutique on the ground floor of the hotel. It was where Yugi had bought his swimming trunks.

"Some of the stuff looked expensive," he told her. Although, he had not really taken the time to have a proper look round.

"Pegasus did say we would get a discount because we're staying here," she said, undaunted. "So it won't do any harm to look, and we might even find a bargain or two." She wanted to treat him to a new shirt with the money she was going to earn from doing the shows, to replace the one she had ruined with snot and make-up the other night.

::::::::::::

After they had both showered and dressed, they went for a stroll around the boutique, looking for bargain designer goods. Yugi found a shirt, by Ralph Lauren, he quite liked; it was reduced, but was still more than he wanted Anzu to spend on him. Anzu found a Louis Vuitton handbag that she really liked. In the end, after some debate, and a bit of quiet squabbling, Yugi got his own way and paid for both the handbag and the shirt.

Yugi then accompanied Anzu to her fitting, and was pleased when they said he could stay and wait in the staff room.

About half an hour later, she came skipping into the staff room wearing her outfit, all smiles. The outfit consisted of a fitted silver/white tutu with green lacy trim, and black tights and shoes. The alterations had been made and it now fitted her perfectly.

Yugi stood to greet her with an awed smile, "You look beautiful!" He was certain that she would be the most beautiful dancer on stage tonight.

She responded by laughing flirtatiously, and, just to test out the comfort of the outfit, launched into a small sequence from the show.

Watching her left him breathless; he wanted to take her in his arms right now, kiss her, ravish her.

Feeling his face start to flush, be tried to banish his inappropriate thoughts before they reached his loins. He just about managed to gasp out, "Wow! Amazing," without drooling.

Anzu immediately recognised the effect she was having on him and stopped dancing. "Wait until you see the show as a whole," she told him, winking.

He couldn't wait! To see Anzu on stage, doing something she loved and had worked so hard for, filled him with love and joy for her.

Daisy came into the room looking for her. "Ah! There you are. Let's have a look at you?" She started examining the fit of Anzu's costume. "Do a twirl," she ordered. Anzu did a pirouette.

Daisy nodded, satisfied with how the costume fitted and looked on her. "Good. You'll do. You wanna come with me and join the rest of the cast?" Anzu nodded and looked towards Yugi, in the hope he might be allowed to stay with her.

When Daisy had entered the room, Yugi had stood up out of respect. With Anzu's attention on Yugi, Daisy's attention now turned in his direction as well. She looked him up and down, her eyes giving him the once over. "This your young man?" She liked what she saw.

He was not sure how to react. The way she was looking at him with a flirty smile reminded him of Mai; it made him feel very self conscious.

Aware of the way Daisy was looking at him, Anzu bounded over to Yugi and looped her arm around his arm protectively. "Yes," she said, aware of the way the other woman was looking at him. "My boyfriend: Yugi Muto." She finished her introductions, "Yugi. This is Miss Daisy, my choreographer."

"Nice to meet you Miss Daisy," Yugi said, bowing politely.

"Nice to meet you too Yugi Muto. But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to steal Anzu away from you. We gotta lot of work to get through to get up to speed for tonight." She really dragged out the word 'lot' in a way that made Anzu feel like she hardly knew anything!

Yugi was a bit disappointed he could not stay and watch Anzu rehearse, but understood.

After kissing Anzu on the cheek, and wishing her luck. he was ushered out.

He was at a loose end now for the rest of the afternoon, and decided to explore. Maybe try his luck in the casino.

But first, he needed a cold drink. He decided to wander along the strip and find a bar but was distracted by a noisy arcade, full of one armed bandits and various games –this was just up his street. Grinning, he went in.

Yugi generally steered clear of the type of games where the odds were heavily stacked against him, instead going for games that required skill and judgement, and won him endless replays on one coin. In his opinion, one armed bandits were generally a waste of time, except for his grandfather, who always seemed to get lucky.

He spent the afternoon, and very little money thanks to the replays he earned, playing arcade games. He bought a cold cola and sat and watched a guy nearby feed one hundred dollars into a machine, with hardly any wins. Cursing, the guy walked away. Yugi fed ten dollars into it and immediately turned a profit of ninety dollars –that good old Muto luck always prevailed. Momentarily, he felt bad for the guy who had lost his money, but did not feel sorry for him for long.

Profit tucked away in his wallet, he returned to the hotel at five to find Pegasus looking for him. "Ah! There you are Yugi. I have been looking for you everywhere but you weren't answering your phone."

Yugi reddened when he saw that his phone was still on flight mode and apologised. He noticed he also had a message from Anzu, telling him she had nailed rehearsal and was now relaxing, and getting something to eat with Daisy and some of the other cast members.

"Anyway," Pegasus continued, "Now that I've found you, I wanted to invite you to join me in my private 'Royal' box for tonight's show." He emphasised Royal. "I hope you haven't already bought a ticket?"

Yugi's eyes widened. No. He had not already bought a ticket; Anzu said she could probably get him a guest ticket, free, or at a discount, which she would arranged to leave at the box office for him. Failing that, he assumed he would be able to pay on the door.

"Oh! Yugi," Pegasus scolded. "The show has been sold out for weeks in advance! Although, we do hold some tickets back for esteemed guests, such as yourself, who are staying at the hotel. But they have all been sold now as well! So I don't know what you would have done without my kind offer?" The element of scolding had now turned into a teasing tone, and Yugi felt like he was back in school, cringing, while being chastised in front of the whole class for drawing a duel monster on the front page of his homework book. Mind you, that memory made him laugh now, especially the part where Sensei asked if it was a picture of his pet cat? "No, Sensei. It's a Kuriboh." Sensei's reaction had been hilarious.

But that was another story. Pegasus was talking to him about something else now and he had missed half of it with his reminiscing. Pegasus loved the sound of his own voice, so Yugi was sure it was nothing important he had missed.

"So! Are you happy with those arrangements?"

"What? Oh! Yes. Thank you Pegasus. What time?" Anzu had told him the show started at eight. But he assumed Pegasus would want him there before then so that they could get seated.

"You haven't been listening to a word I have been saying, have you now? I would have almost assumed you were talking to Pharaoh-Boy with the way you zoned out."

Yugi did not find quips about Atem very funny, but resisted the urge to bite back. "I was thinking about tonight. Sorry."

"And I was asking you to meet me in the bar at six thirty. I thought that we could dine together, before going to see your lovely Anzu performing in her show. If you wish, that is?"

"Yeah. That sounds great!" Yugi replied. "And, thanks for inviting me. I would have been really upset if I couldn't get to see Anzu dancing tonight. I saw her in her costume and she looked really nice," he said, trying not to blush at the thoughts it was giving him.

Pegasus clapped his hands together. "That settles it then. I will meet you here, six thirty sharp. Suit and tie. I presume you have a suit and a tie?"

Yugi nodded.

"Good! Because tonight's performance is being filmed for a TV spectacular, and since both myself and the King of Games are in attendance, the cameras will be sure to focus on us."

Yugi almost gaped in astonishment. Was Anzu aware that TV cameras would be filming the show?

He hoped not, because it might make her more nervous.

::::::::::::

Yugi took his seat in Pegasus' Royal box, and looked around. The theatre was opulent in style; marble pillars and balconies painted in cream and gold, with intricately carved ornaments adorning them. Rich red drapes, matching red seating trimmed with oak. He looked up at the ceiling, painted to look like the sun setting behind storm clouds, or sunrise –he wasn't sure. But although it was designed to appear old and traditional, everything still looked fresh and new.

Anzu loved Victorian theatres and he knew she would be in awe of this place.

The box he was sitting in overlooked the whole theatre, and down below Yugi could see that the majority of people had taken their seats.

The stage was brightly lit, and the rich, deep red curtains covered most of it from view. All Yugi could see were the footlights and the front part of the stage. He then spotted the television cameras and their crews; three were set up in the orchestra pit, and two set high on a gantry's right at the back corners of the theatre. There was also another right in the centre of the stalls, in a sunken booth that Yugi could see also contained sound and lighting engineers and modern sound equipment.

"Beautiful theatre. Wouldn't you agree Yugi?" Pegasus said, proudly. My sister read history at Cambridge and developed a fondness for Victorian architecture. I'm very proud of her for the work she has done to make this theatre so beautiful. She wanted it to resemble Alexandra Palace, and I must say, it is exquisite."

"Hmm," Yugi hummed in agreement. He had no idea what Alexandra Palace looked like anyway. All he was concerned about was seeing his beautiful girlfriend dancing in this fantastic venue.

::::::::::::

It was only thirty five minutes before curtain call that Anzu found out the performance was going to be filmed. She was glad she had not found out before; if she had known right at the beginning she might have chickened out!

But it was way too late for cold feet now. She was here. This was her moment to shine (okay, she was not in a starring role, but who cared) and she was going to grasp the opportunity.

She looked at her phone, and the messages of encouragement Yugi had sent her. They made her smile. Another message came through: if she looked up and to her left, he was in the Royal box with Pegasus. It was the one in the middle with the largest balcony. She made a mental note to look for him if she could.

"Five till curtain call!" She heard someone shout, and wondered where the last thirty minutes had gone. Putting her phone in her bag, she tucked it under the table with the other bags.

One of the dancers she would be dancing with patted her on the shoulder. "How're you feeling?"

"Yeah... Good,thanks." Her stomach did a flip.

Make-up, hair, last minute checks were all done, and... the curtains opened to a rapturous roar from the audience.

Anzu was carried by her adrenaline. Spotlights lit up the stage, and the audience were nothing more than a sea of faceless people. She took a moment to glance up at the box where Yugi was sitting and their eyes met briefly. He gave her the thumbs up. She wanted to wave back but of course was unable to – she could do that during the encore when the cast would be introduced for the audience to applaud.

As she danced, her nerves subsided and her body moved freely in harmony with the other dancers. This was what she had spent her whole life wanting to do and she was not going to screw it up. She remembered her dance tutors and everything they had taught her and how they always told their pupils not to look so serious. But Anzu did not need to force a smile for the audience; her smile was one of genuine happiness.

Yugi watched in awe. His eyes were not focused on the other dancers – they just faded into oblivion. His eyes were on Anzu only. In his mind she was the best and the brightest and the most beautiful dancer on stage – she was the only dancer on stage!

"Beautiful! Anzu possesses such natural talent," Pegasus observed appreciatively, making Yugi's pride in his girlfriend swell further. "She has a great future here in Las Vegas if she so wishes."

The idea that Anzu might move to Las Vegas to work permanently brought Yugi back to reality. Could their relationship withstand her living here? He hoped it could. But whatever Anzu decided she wanted to do, then of course he would accept it.

::::::::::::

The following morning, Anzu woke up feeling like it had all been a dream. Yugi was already up and she could hear him moving around in the bathroom.

Maybe she was still dreaming, she was unsure. Maybe the last five and a half days were imagined and she would wake up in a moment to the real world. She would be back in New York, in her grotty apartment, the neighbours next door yelling and fighting. She would have to work a seven hour shift at the cafe and then go and shake her booty in that god awful club. Tony would still be there, using her and the other girls.

Yugi's calm, husky voice broke her from her morbid thoughts.

"Hey! You're awake." He leaned across the bed, smiling, and moved in to kiss her. He smelled freshly washed and of toothpaste. She pursed her lips, not returning the kiss properly, and turned her face away.

He pulled back, looking hurt and confused. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, holding the back of her hand over her mouth. "I've got morning breath," she said, sounding embarrassed.

He laughed. "Oh! That's all you're worried about," he teased. He sat back on his haunches, peering at her oddly, a light smirk on his face, making her laugh despite herself.

"I know I keep telling you this," he said. "But you really were the best dancer there last night."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're just biased." And then she shook her head and laughed again. "I still can't believe it's happening Yugi. I keep thinking I'm dreaming."

"I can assure you you're not," he stated.

She pinched herself and hummed. "Maybe I'm not. I don't know what I will do once this weekend is over though. Daisy told me I'm more or less assured the chance to appear in more shows. But Joshua's the boss so I guess I'll have to wait and see."

"What will you do if they offer you a permanent job here?" Yugi asked, cautiously. He really wanted her to get a job offer, but for selfish reasons he also wanted her to come back to Japan with him.

She shrugged, letting out a sigh. "I dunno. I'm torn. I don't want to jeopardise our relationship, but I also wouldn't mind being in the full run of a show. Maybe I can divide my time."

He took both her hands in his. "We will deal with whatever happens," he implored. "But I don't want you turning down a fantastic job offer because you're worried about me, okay?"

She looked at him a bit apprehensively. "I dunno. I will do what I think is right." She chewed her lip in thought for a moment, and then said, "I won't accept anything without talking to you about it first. I think that's best."

Smiling, he agreed that that was what they should do.

Letting go of her hands, he let her get up, and she headed to the bathroom to get dressed.

Deep down, they both knew that their future together was still up in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, almost the end. But not quite. I decided that I can't leave them (and you) not knowing if there will be a happily ever after.  
> So there will be one more chapter.


	18. Epilogue - What the Future May Hold.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter, in which Anzu finally realises her dreams. Yugi also has a little surprise for her at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken me so long to do, but I find it really hard to write epilogues!
> 
> Notes: The name of the cafe in New York, is totally made up, and I have no idea if a Blossoms cafe exists there. If it does, then I did not mean to steal the name.

With the success of River Dance, Anzu was in good spirits. She had been offered a contract with the dance company, and would to return to Las Vegas in a month's time after she had worked her notice at the coffee shop. A contract had been drawn up, and Joshua had been happy for her to discuss it with Yugi before she signed anything. She and Yugi were now sitting on their hotel bed, reading through it.

Yugi was really happy for her. "Are you going to accept the offer?"

Anzu was undecided. "I don't know. I think so." She showed him the page she was concerned about. "I won't be on a salary. I will be classed as a self employed contractor."

He took it from her and studied it. "How guaranteed is the work?"

"Joshua has assured me that I will get plenty of work. But I'm still worried about being in a new place with no income. I don't want to end up being forced to take a job in a bar while hoping something good comes along."

Yugi understood her concerns. He smiled softly. "Why don't you give it a month, and if you don't get any work, come home to Japan? Pegasus said he would give you a room, free for a month, so you have nothing to lose."

Anzu thought it over for a moment. "You're right. I've got nothing to lose. If you think I should go for it, then I will accept."

Grinning, Yugi put the contract down on the bed. "A good decision," he said, reiterating, "If you need anything, I'm only a phone call away."

"Yeah..." She nodded, a hint of resolve in her voice. "You're right. I'm not going to make the same mistakes again. Not when I know I have support, from you, from Pegasus, from my friends, my family..." If only she had not been so stubborn about trying to go it alone in New York all these months past, then things may have turned out differently there.

"I'm proud of you," he said, leaning across to kiss her. The kiss became passionate, his hand sliding up her thigh, as he pushed her gently backwards, onto the bed.

Anzu was enjoying the moment, and it was so tempting to forget about her meeting. But turning up late to finalise her contract with her future employer, dishevelled after having sex, was probably not the best start to a new career. "Hmm," she mumbled, as she reluctantly ended the kiss and pushed him away. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, sitting up. "I got carried away. You're so beautiful and I want to make the most of every moment we have together." His face was flushed and his arousal obvious.

She touched his face and smiled apologetically. "Me too. But I should probably leave soon. Hopefully I won't be long, and then we will have the rest of the afternoon together."

"I'm already looking forward to it," he grinned cheekily. Moving off the bed, he offered her a hand and pulled her up to stand.

Straightening her clothing, she nudged him. "I'll be as quick as I can."

She ended up being gone for over an hour.

::::::::::::

Leaving behind the warm sunshine of Las Vegas, they flew back to a breezy, rainy New York. But at least it was not as cold as it had been when they left last week. Yugi spent the night with Anzu at her apartment, but was back at JFK the next morning, to fly home to Japan.

Anzu watched him go through to the departure lounge, and the ominous feeling of being all alone again started to close in on her. But she did not have time to dwell on the negative thoughts threatening to overwhelm her, because she had to go and work her shift at the cafe.

The next three and a half weeks felt strange. Anzu worked as many shifts as she could get in order to bump up her final pay check. Being at work meant that time went more quickly, and it also meant she was not alone.

When her last shift finished her boss threw a little after-work partly for her, and after a few drinks, and a few tears, she said goodbye to Blossoms Cafe for the final time.

She spent the next three days packing up her stuff. She had to get rid of quite a few things, such as her toaster and some bathroom scales, because she simply did not have space to take them with her. The clothing Tony had bought her, although nice stuff, was also a reminder of him. So she put them all in a big bag, except for the I-phone –she was keeping that– and then took them to the local homeless charity.

Meanwhile, the police had contacted her again, to say that they had arrested Tony's business partner and rounded up the rest of the gang involved in the trafficking ring, and that several girls had been saved as a result. Anzi insisted that she had not been a victim and did not wish to be involved further. The fight involving her neighbour and Tony, which had resulted in Tony's death, was still being investigated. Anzu was a bit shocked when the investigating officer suggested her neighbour might have snatched the gun and shot Tony at point blank range – how could she agree to that when she had not even seen the shooting?! But she did give permission for her existing statement to be read out in court.

Her neighbour was let out on bail but had now gone missing. His girlfriend had gone as well. Anzu was glad, because it meant there was no risk she might bump into them on the stairs.

As she posted her keys through the landlord's letterbox, she was relieved to be moving out.

With all her possessions squeezed into one large suitcase and a backpack, she took a taxi to the airport. She wondered if she would ever return to this city. She hoped that she would; her dream to dance on Broadway may have been put on the back seat, but it was not going to be forgotten, or abandoned.

::::::::::::

The first thing Anzu did when she arrived back in Las Vegas, was video call Yugi from the room Pegasus had given her. It was one of the rooms reserved for staff accommodation. Although in the staff quarters, and small, the room did have its own private bathroom with a small shower cubicle. Apparently, she was honoured, as most of the other rooms had shared bathrooms.

"I think I will get something better as soon as I know where I am work wise, though," she told Yugi, in earnest. "The Laundry room is just along the end of the corridor, so it's a bit noisy and smells of detergent." She could probably add to the list of complaints, but decided to stop there.

"At least it's free," he reassured her. "But if you want to look for something nicer, let me know, and I'll pay the rent for you." She was grateful for the offer, and thanked him, but she did not want to put on him, so would make do with what she had for the time being.

"Well, hopefully I won't need to ask you for money, Yugi. I only just got here and I already have an audition tomorrow. It's for a part in a pop video – I'll let you know how it goes."

"Cool. Good luck. Do you know who the pop star is?"

Anzu scratched her head, pouting. "I didn't think to ask!" She started laughing. Yugi laughed too.

After their laughter had died down, Anzu said, "I had better go. I need to unpack my stuff."

"Okay. Bye. I love you," he cooed.

"Love you too, Yugi," she replied, in a silly voice. "Bye..." They both blew kisses to one another, saying soppy goodbyes several more times each, before finally hanging up.

Anzu tolerated her small room for nearly three weeks, before one of the other dancers she was working with mentioned she had a spare room to let in the house she and her husband owned. It was a large house, with a nice garden, a tennis court, swimming pool and a gymnasium. The husband was a successful musician, and the couple were happy to let out the spare rooms to fellow entertainers, who were in need of lodgings. Anzu was extremely happy living there, and they were more than happy to allow Yugi stay with her while he was here for the annual Duel Monsters World Championships, which Pegasus had organised to be in Las Vegas this year, instead of being held at Kaiba Land.

The championships were spectacular, with actors dressed in Duel Monsters costumes handing out candy and various other goodies and leaflets. There were magicians performing tricks, acrobats and dancers. Anzu was dressed as Dark Magician Girl, much to Yugi's delight. But he was a bit worried at some of the aerial stunts she had to perform, while dangling from a wire –good job she had been good at gymnastics in her youth.

The tournament was a huge success; Yugi retained his title, while Jonouchi and Mai won the tag tournament, in which Yugi did not compete. Kaiba did not compete at all, stating pressures of helping Pegasus organise such an over-blown, pompous spectacle, had taken too much of his time and he had not built a deck that could defeat some of the newer decks.

After the tournament final, Yugi and Anzu thanked Pegasus, and asked him if he had been thinking of them when he persuaded Kaiba to hold the tournament here? He replied, "You should both know I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to love." Yugi and Anzu could not help noticing that there had been a hint of sadness in his voice for his own love, lost.

::::::::::::

Ten Months Later:

As Anzu skipped out onto the stage to perform her solo, The Dance of The Sugar Plumb Fairy, amidst rapturous applause, she took a moment to reflect on her journey.

The highs and lows of her time spent in New York. Re-connecting with Yugi, and discovering their love was one that endured all obstacles.

She could have given up, but for Yugi's support. She certainly would have turned down the offer of coming to work in Las Vegas. Thank God she accepted, because it had turned out to be one of the best decisions she had ever made. She had worked hard, and quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the most sought after female dancers. Offers to appear in shows were plenty, and horizons were broadening.

Somewhere in the audience, was Yugi. But in the glare of the bright lights and the sea of people before her she could not spot him. Her parents were there too, as were Jonouchi, Mai, Honda and Shizuka. Mokuba had dragged Kaiba along as well. They were all here to see her perform the Dance of the Sugar Plumb Fairy, in this years Christmas and New Year spectacular; Nutcracker suite.

::::::::::::

The following morning, Anzu awoke to another bright, sunny morning. The curtains were being pulled back slightly, allowing the room to be bathed in light. As Anzu opened her eyes fully, she tilted her head to one side and saw Yugi sitting on the edge of the bed holding a mug of green tea. He was already washed and dressed.

"I brought you this," he said, smiling, proffering the mug. "There's a pastry as well." He gestured at the night-stand, on which, sat a small plate, with a paper bag containing what Anzu hoped was a cinnamon bun. "I remembered you liked the cinnamon buns they serve here," he beamed, "So that's what I got. I hope that's okay?"

"Hmm.. Definitely okay," she said dreamily, pushing herself up to sit. She took the mug of tea from him. "Is it cool enough to drink?"

He nodded. "It's been sat on the night stand for nearly fifteen minutes. I let you sleep on, but it's ten thirty now, so I thought..."

Anzu's eyebrows raised. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?!"

He shrugged. "Because you looked so cute sleeping. And we were quite late to bed by the time we got back from the theatre."

Accepting he was right to let her sleep in, she took a sip of her tea. It was just on the point of going tepid, but was still just about drinkable. She had put so much emotional and physical energy into last night's performance, that she was weary this morning. The tea would at least help wake her up properly and she drank it quickly.

Yugi passed her the cinnamon bun. "You know, the way you danced last night; I'm no expert, but you really were incredible. You blew me away. I actually shed a tear or two at the end of the show, when you got a standing ovation."

Anzu laughed bashfully, embarrassed by the compliment. "The standing ovation wasn't just for me. There were other dancers in the show!"

He pretended to be surprised. "Were there?! I didn't notice," he chuckled. "I only saw one beautiful, talented ballerina, and she's all mine."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Stop it, Yugi. If you keep paying me compliments like that, my head will get so big I won't be able to get through the door."

"Then I'll make the door bigger," he laughed, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"Get away," she scolded, teasingly, taking an unladylike bite of her cinnamon bun.

Laughing, he got off the bed and went over to the sofa and picked up the control for the television so that he could play a game on the play station while Anzu finished her breakfast and then went to the bathroom.

She emerged from the bathroom, washed and wearing just her dressing gown. He paused his game and looked up at her. "We're not meeting up with everyone until three. What do you want to do in the meantime?"

"I dunno," she replied. "Not much. I'm tired after putting so much of myself into last night's show." She sat down beside him. "This probably sounds silly. It's hard to explain. It was like everything I had worked so hard for all these months suddenly fell into place. I felt like I was dancing on cloud nine. When I danced, every signal from my brain to my muscles seemed to flow effortlessly, although, in reality, I was concentrating and working, really hard. I felt like I really was the Sugar Plumb Fairy." She giggled, slightly embarrassed by the admission.

He turned to her and was studying her with a serious, but loving expression. "It doesn't sound silly at all. I know exactly what you mean. I've felt the same thing when I play what I hope is a game winning combo, but my opponent counters me, and pushes me to limits I did not know I had, and I ultimately win. I hate to admit it, but in that moment, I feel like I'm the best duelist ever." He grimaced, not comfortable with admitting he was the greatest, when in his heart he knew that that honour was earned for him with Atem's help.

Anzu leaned forward to cup his slightly pink cheek in her hand. "That's because you are the best; You are The King of Games," she said, kissing him. "My King of Games."

He put his arms around her. "Then you're My Queen –The Queen of Dance," he responded, kissing her again.

She was just relaxing into the kiss, when he abruptly stopped and got up. "Stay there," he ordered, winking at her. She was confused. What was he up to?

He went to his bag and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. He had bought it after speaking to Anzu's parents, and her mother had advised him on the correct size to purchase.

Holding the small, navy blue velvet box in one hand, out of her sight, he went back over to where she was sitting looking slightly perplexed, but curious.

When he knelt on one knee in front of her, she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. Her hands flew to her mouth and she gasped.

He gazed up at her with pleading, hopeful eyes and cleared his throat. He had rehearsed what he wanted to say but it was all deserting him. It took all of his effort, just to babble and stumble over the words, "Anzu Mazaki. Will you m.. marry me?" He blurted. So much for the romantic speech. He had not even opened the little box, slowly and deliberately, as he had planned to do, while telling her how much he loved her, and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

However, Anzu was so excited she barely let him even get any words out, and was already saying, "Yes," over and over again.

The pair of them started giggling as she melted like jelly and flopped onto her knees on the floor in front of him, and into his arms. She was sure she would be boneless on the floor had he not caught her.

They stayed, wrapped up in each others arms for several moments, as each took in what he had just asked, and the reply she had given.

Yugi managed to speak first. "So... I take it that's a Yes! You will marry me?"

She nodded against his shoulder, "Yes! Most definitely a yes."

The couple kissed passionately, all thoughts of tiredness fading from Anzu's weary mind and body.

After a few moments, they pulled apart and Yugi held up his hand, in which he was still clutching the box containing the ring.

"Okay," he began, opening the box. "I know how much you like western traditions, that's why I got you an engagement ring." Anzu was full of anticipation, as he took hold of her hand and lifted it up to slide the ring onto her finger.

"Wrong hand," she corrected, pulling her right hand away and holding up her left.

"Oh! Sorry." He studied his left hand, his right hand, and winked at her. "It's because we're facing each other. Don't worry. I do know which finger." He took the ring from its box and gently held her hand as he nervously slipped it onto her finger. When it was on, and appeared to fit perfectly, he let out the breath he was holding.

Anzu proudly inspected her hand. The ring was gold with a sparkly diamond set into it. Not vulgar or overstated, but pretty and dainty, just as she liked. "Oh, Yugi. It's beautiful. Perfect. How did you know what size to get me?"

He blushed. "Your mum helped. I asked their permission first. One of the reasons our friends are here.. is.. erm... they know I'm asking you. The reason we're meeting them at three o'clock today is for a small celebration." He laughed awkwardly. "Not quite sure what we would do if you said no, though."

Anzu took his hands in hers and held them against her knees, where they were both sitting on their haunches facing each other, their knees touching. "Absolutely no way was I going to say no," she said firmly. "In fact, I was wondering when you would ask me! I was beginning to think I would have to start dropping hints, or even suggest we get married."

"You were?!" He said, surprised. But he was glad she had not asked him. He would not call himself sexist, or chauvinistic, but he was a bit traditional when it came to marriage proposals. "Well, I'm glad I got in first," he teased. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time more deeply.

When they separated for air, Anzu said, "I've been thinking, not just now, but quite a bit lately, about going home to Japan. And now we're engaged to be married I think I will."

Yugi was rather surprised. "But!" He almost spluttered. "What about your career? You've finally made it and you're gonna walk away!"

"I won't be walking away. I have enjoyed the last ten months in Las Vegas, and last night was the pinnacle of my time here. But I don't want to dance in just one place. I have been offered a job with the Tokyo Ballet, and I have just decided I will accept. It would mean I can base myself in Domino, with you."

"If it's what you really want, then..." Yugi said, cautiously.

"It's exactly what I want," Anzu answered, assertively. Yugi smiled at her. If she was happy, then so was he. "One more thing," Anzu added, "We should probably start thinking about setting a date for our wedding. I would really love a spring wedding, under the Sakura in full bloom."

"This spring?!" Yugi squeaked.

"Yeah.. Why not?" She grinned.

"B..but... won't all this year's spring venues be booked up?"

Anzu smiled at him devilishly. "You're the King of Games, and you work with Kaiba. Use some influence."

He scratched his head. He did not really like abusing his status to get his own way, or to get into fully booked venues. His friends had embarrassed him on more than one occasion, by using his name to get tickets into exclusive events. The most recent embarrassment had been when Jonouchi pretended to be Yugi to get him and Honda a backstage pass for a Taylor Swift concert, only to get thrown out when they discovered he wasn't Yugi.

"I know you get embarrassed about being famous Yugi, but it's not a crime to sometimes enjoy your status," Anzu said, sensing his reluctance.

"You're right," he stated. "My friends are always using my fame, maybe it's about time I did too. If you want a spring wedding, then you will have one." He took her in his arms again, kissing her passionately, before leading her over to the bed.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was not too much of a disappointment. But I did want a nice cheesy, happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter. Please let me know in a review as I would love to know your thoughts.
> 
> Next update at the weekend, so I won't keep you waiting too long to find out what Anzu is doing for a living. In the meantime, you're welcome to guess.


End file.
